U.S. Agreement To Build, Upgrade Military Bases Intact; Work To Begin This Year, Says Defense Minister

The U.S. Dept. of Defense has approved to start work on new facilities this year at Philippine military bases, reports Reuters.

The construction and upgrading projects are part of the 2014 Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement, which Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has threatened to scrap.

"EDCA is still on," Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana told reporters on Thursday.

The accord allows the expansion of rotational deployments of U.S. ships, aircraft and troops at...