Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos said Monday that the four military bases accessible to the United States would not be used in any offensive action, stressing the arrangement with US was designed to boost his country’s defenses.

“We will not allow our bases to be used for any offensive actions. This is only aimed at helping the Philippines whenever we need help,” Marcos added.

Recently, the Philippines identified four more of its bases the US will get access to, as part of an expanded defense agreement.

Signed in 2014, it allows the US access to Philippine bases for joint training, pre-positioning of equipment and building of facilities such as runways, fuel storage and military housing, but it is not a permanent presence.

Source: Qatar News Agency