Admiral John C Aquilino, commander of the United States Indo-Pacific Command, speaks at the IISS Special Lecture in Singapore, March 16, 2023. (PHOTO / REUTERS)

MANILA – The US military could be granted access to more military bases in the Philippines under a joint defense agreement between the two countries, the chief of the US Indo-Pacific command said on Thursday after meeting the head of the Philippines armed forces.

US Admiral John Aquilino said he and the Philippines' military chief, Lieutenant General Romeo Brawner, discussed further expanding the number of bases US forces could access under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) and had made "recommendations to our senior leaders".

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The United States says it intends to bolster an already strong alliance and improve the defense capability of the Philippines.

US troops look on as Philippine military cadets train at a naval base where the annual joint military exercises between US and Philippine troops called "Balikatan" or shoulder-to-shoulder are held in San Antonio, Zambales province, Philippines, April 26, 2023. (PHOTO / REUTERS)

Brawner said the purpose of EDCA was training exercises and humanitarian and disaster response, key planks of a decades-old alliance between the two countries.

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Aquilino, who was in Manila for an annual meeting on bilateral defense cooperation, also said the allies were seeking to complete an agreement to boost intelligence sharing.