MANILA – As negotiators from both the United States and the Philippines wrap up an Agreement on Enhanced Defense Cooperation (AEDC), party-list lawmakers are preparing to question it before the Supreme Court on grounds of constitutionality.
“This early, we are already studying the option of questioning the AEDC at the Supreme Court because it is a clear violation of our Constitution particularly Sections 3 and 7 and possibly Section 8 of Article II,” Bayan Muna Representative Neri Colmenares said Monday.
“We are also of the position that this is not a mere executive agreement but a treaty and should be scrutinized by the Senate and the House of Representatives,” he said.
Article II of the Philippine Constitution is the Declaration of Principles and State Policies on national sovereignty, foreign policy and freedom from nuclear weapons, among others.