Philippines Seeks More US Troops

The government of the Philippines is seeking more US troops to rotate through Philippines military bases,as well as pre-positioned equipment.It is on a temporary basis,the Philippines stresses.Negotiations are to begin today,Wednesday.*Hundreds of US troops currently rotate through the Southeast Asian nation,providing counterterrorism training and holding annual combat exercises with Filipino forces,in response to internal threats by various militant groups,including one linked to al-Qaida.*The Philippines wants a bigger US presence to deter foreign incursions in its territorial waters as well,providing more maritime security and maritime domain awareness,as well as natural disaster response.In recent times,they have become preoccupied by territorial disputes with China and Vietnam.Last year China seized a lagoon off the country's Northwest coast inside the Philippines 200-mile/332 kilometer exclusive economic zone,the Filipino government says.China also claims a shoal further south which was occupied by Chinese troops in 1995.*The US had previously maintained Subic Bay Naval Base and Clark Air Base.In 1991,the Pinatubo volcano erupted,devastating both US bases.Clark was closed permanently,but Subic was restored.In 1992,the US left Subic as well when the Philippines Senate refused to ratify a new base lease agreement,against the wishes of President Corazon Aquino.*In November 2012,the Benigno Aquino III government invited the US Navy and Marine Corps back to Subic Bay on a semi-permanent basis.The new negotiations are intended to extend this presence to other areas besides the Southern Philippines,where Subic Bay is located.