| Camp Melchor F. dela Cruz | |
|---|---|
| Gamu, Isabela | |
 Bust of Col. Melchor F. dela Cruz within the camp | |
  Camp Melchor F. dela Cruz  Camp Melchor F. dela Cruz | |
| Coordinates | 17°04′20″N121°51′54″E / 17.0721°N 121.8651°E |
| Type | Military base |
| Site information | |
| Controlled by |  Philippines |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1936 |
Camp Melchor F. dela Cruz is a military camp used by the Armed Forces of the Philippines in barangay Upi in Gamu, Isabela.
Established in 1936, [1] it was renamed in honor of Colonel Melchor dela Cruz, who was killed after his helicopter was shot down by the communist New People's Army over San Mariano, Isabela during reconnaissance operations against the rebel group on 8 November 1971. It is currently the headquarters of the 5th Infantry Division of the Philippine Army. [2]
On May 23, 2011, the camp's re-enlistment office was damaged by two explosions, which authorities believed were perpetrated by rejected applicants for the army. [3]
In 2023, the camp was selected as one of four strategic military bases in the Philippines that were opened to the US military as part of the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement, citing the base's proximity to Taiwan. [4]
On October 10, 2024, three people were killed in a mass shooting perpetrated by a soldier inside the camp that was believed to have been part of a domestic dispute. [5]
The camp also houses a museum dedicated to the life of dela Cruz and exhibits relating to the 5th ID. [6] It also hosts the 5ID Memorial Pylon dedicated to the unit's soldiers who died in the course of duty in Northern Luzon. [7]
Following the opening of the facility to US forces under the EDCA agreement in 2023, the United States has pledged to build warehouses to store US military assets, a landing pad for rotary aircraft, a joint training facility and a command fusion centre. [8]
The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) are the military forces of the Philippines. It consists of three main service branches; the Army, the Air Force, and the Navy. The President of the Philippines is the Commander-in-Chief of the AFP and forms military policy with the Department of National Defense, an executive department acting as the principal organ by which military policy is carried out, while the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines serves as the overall commander and the highest-ranking officer in the AFP.
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Isabela, officially the Province of Isabela, is the second largest province in the Philippines in land area located in the Cagayan Valley. Its capital and the largest local government unit is the city of Ilagan. It is bordered by the provinces of Cagayan to the north, Kalinga to the northwest, Mountain Province to the central-west, Ifugao and Nueva Vizcaya to the southwest, Quirino, Aurora and the independent city of Santiago to the south, and the Philippine Sea to the east.
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The Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) is an agreement between the United States and the Philippines intended to bolster the American–Philippine alliance. The agreement allows the United States to rotate troops into the Philippines for extended stays and allows the United States to build and operate facilities on Philippine bases for both American and Philippine forces. The U.S. is not allowed to establish any permanent military bases. The Philippines have personnel access to American ships and planes. This agreement has been the subject of criticism by some leftist groups in the Philippines.
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The Revolutionary Proletarian Army, also known by the acronym RPA, was the military wing of the Revolutionary Workers' Party (RPM-P), a communist party that split from the Communist Party of the Philippines.
On November 8, 2022, the Philippine Army and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) engaged in a gunfight in Ungkaya Pukan, Basilan, while the army was conducting clearing operations on "lawless elements" allegedly taking refuge in the territory controlled by the MILF. Fighting between the two sides continued until November 10, 2022 when a ceasefire between two sides were signed.
United States military bases were established in the Philippines on the basis of a treaty signed after the conclusion of World War II and the recognition of Philippine independence by the US. The bases established under that treaty were discontinued in 1991 and 1992, after the Senate of the Philippines narrowly rejected a new treaty which would have allowed some of the bases to continue for another ten years. This article summarizes the collective history of those bases.
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