Philippine court puts off ruling on U.S. military pact

The Philippine Supreme Court on Wednesday put off for a second time a decision on the legality of a new security agreement with the United States, raising fresh doubt about a deal that would give U.S forces access to Philippine military bases.

The Philippines has long been a staunch U.S. ally and the pact is widely seen as important for both as the Philippines confronts an assertive China in the disputed South China Sea and the United States implements a "pivot" back to Asia.

But left-wing Philippine politicians and others have challenged the constitutionality of the pact, known as the Enhanced Defence Cooperation Agreement (EDCA), which as a result, has become held up in the Supreme Court.

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