MANILA, Philippines - Malacañang on Wednesday allayed concerns that the United States wants to set up new military bases in the Philippines.

Presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said allegations that the US is dangling defense and economic benefits for the Philippines in exchange for the bases have "no basis."

"The US is fully aware of the provisions of the 1987 Constitution and they have stated as much that they do not intend to set up bases here in the Philippines," he said.

A high-ranking US Navy official was earlier quoted by Reuters to have said that they will station several new coastal combat ships in Singapore and perhaps in the Philippines in coming years.

In coming years, the U.S. Navy will increasingly focus on the strategic "maritime crossroads" of the Asia-Pacific region, Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Jonathan Greenert wrote in the December issue of Proceedings, published by the U.S. Naval Institute.

One Reuters source briefed on Navy plans said there have been discussions about stationing ships in the Philippines.

A Department of National Defense spokesman welcomed the US Navy's plans in disputed parts of the West Philippine Sea.

"We're together in Asia Pacific and we face common security challenges," said defense spokesman Peter Paul Galvez.

"We see several security challenges where we actually need inter-operability and interplay exercises including disasters, threats of terrorism, freedom of navigation, piracy and human trafficking. We cannot deny that we need their assistance in that aspect."

The Communist Party of the Philippines, in a press statement Wednesday, claimed that negotiations are being done between Manila and Washington "to set up special facilities for the rotational docking of American naval warships, unloading of US soldiers, and the basing of US spy planes."

"The matter is among the top concerns to be taken up in scheduled talks between the US and Philippine governments following the recently concluded Strategic Defense Dialogue (SDD) held January 26-28 in Washington D.C. The US government is awaiting proposals by the Aquino government on where to set up these special facilities," the CPP alleged. - with reports from Willard Cheng, ABS-CBN News; Reuters