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MANILA -- The Supreme Court on Tuesday denied the petition filed by a former senator of the United States to declare the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) between the Philippines and the United States last year as unconstitutional.
Former US senator Mike Gravel, who served the US Senate from 1969 to 1981, filed the petition to intervene through the Roque & Butuyan Law Offices, urging the SC to return EDCA to the Senate of the Philippines for examination and approval.
The high tribunal denied the motion and petition-in-intervention for lack of interest and standing.
In a press conference, Supreme Court Public Information Office (PIO) Chief and Spokesman Atty. Theodore Te said “the Court, addressing the Motion for Leave to Intervene dated Oct. 26, 2015 filed by counsel for proposed intervenor Mr. Mike Gravel and the attached proposed Petition-in-Intervention, Denied the Motion and the proposed Petition-in-Intervention for the admitted lack of interest and standing of Mr. Gravel.”
Te added that the Court also took note of Senate Resolution 105 expressing the sense of the Senate as to the need for Senate concurrence for the EDCA.
Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago authored the Senate Resolution.
EDCA between the United States and the Philippines was signed on April 28, 2014 by Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin and US ambassador to the Philippines Philip Goldberg just before the visit of US President Barack Obama.
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