By Prashanth Parameswaran
Reports suggest a key Supreme Court ruling may be declared sooner than anticipated.
Over the weekend, local media outlets reported that the Supreme Court of the Philippines may finally decide that a new U.S.-Philippine defense pact is constitutional more than a year after it was signed and before U.S. President Barack Obama touches down next week in Manila for an Asia-Pacific summit.
The Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) – a pact inked in April 2014 between Washington and Manila that, among other things, would give U.S. troops and equipment wide access to Philippine military bases on a rotational basis – has been languishing in the face of a constitutional challenge in the Southeast Asian state. Though Philippine officials have been assuring outside observers that EDCA’s approval is a question of when rather than if, many in Washington had hoped a decision would be made before Obama attends the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting that Manila is hosting November 17-18.
Now sources suggest that the court will decide to uphold the constitutionality of the pact before Obama’s trip as many had hoped. Sources close to the judicial proceedings told The Manila Times that the 82-page draft decision of Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno is expected to declare EDCA “not constitutionally infirm.”
These sources also added that the tribunal would discuss and deliberate the draft decision on November 10 and that depending on whether or not there are objections, there could be a vote either then or on November 16 on the eve of the APEC summit. Separately, a government official also told Reuters that the administration expected a ruling in its favor before APEC.
Read the full story at The Diplomat