US troop expansion ‘needs no new Senate approval’

THE proposed increased rotational presence (IRP) of American forces in the country or enhanced defense cooperation between the Philippines and the United States does not require Senate concurrence once approved by the two sides.

The Philippine panel head, Defense Undersecretary Pio Lorenzo Batino, on Friday said the legal framework for the agreement on the IRP is basically anchored on two existing pacts—the Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT) and the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA)—and is not a subject of current negotiations.