Philippines military backs permanent stay of US missile system

Philippine military chief General Romeo Brawner on Wednesday backed the permanent stationing of a US missile system in his country, after China had warned deployment of the weapon was destabilizing the region, Report informs via AFP.

The US Army said in April it had deployed the Typhon mid-range missile system in the northern Philippines for annual joint military exercises but did not pull it out after the war games.

The two countries are bound by a mutual defense pact.

The presence of the US missile system on Philippine soil had angered Beijing, whose forces have engaged in escalating confrontations in recent months with the Philippines over disputed reefs and waters in the South China Sea.

"If I were given the choice, I would like to have the Typhons here in the Philippines forever because we need that for our defense," Brawner told reporters on the sidelines of a defense exhibit in Manila.