Duterte wants other U.S. pacts reviewed

American troops did not come to the country’s defense when the Philippines lost the Mischief Reef in 1995 and Scarborough Shoal in 2012 with China, despite the MDT

Apart from the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA), two other defense treaties between the Philippines and the United States should be

reviewed to determine whether they remain beneficial to the country, Malacañang said Tuesday.

In a news conference, presidential spokesperson Secretary Harry Roque floated the possibility of reviewing the 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT) and 2014 Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) the US had forged with the Philippines.

He lamented that the American troops did not come to the country’s defense when the Philippines lost the Mischief Reef in 1995 and Scarborough Shoal in 2012 with China, despite the MDT.

Roque also cited that the US appeared to be non-existent as China continues to build artificial islands in the disputed territories.

“I think it’s really time to rethink whether we need the Mutual Defense Treaty because there were three instances where the US could help us but didn’t,” he said.

Senator Risa Hontiveros, meanwhile, expressed support for the review of the VFA.

Hontiveros said she is backing the review and possibly an update on the terms and conditions of the decades-long pact if it is for the benefit of the country’s independent and foreign policy.

“I support a review of its terms and conditions to, if necessary, update it in the interest of pursuing our independent and interdependent foreign policy,” the lawmaker said.

“I look forward to a clear and consistent and pro-Filipino foreign and national defense policy whether it is about the VFA, on the whole mutual defense treaty, or even our relationship with China and other claimant countries of the West Philippine Sea,” she added.

Roque also floated the need to review the EDCA, after President Rodrigo Duterte alleged on Monday night that the US has been converting Subic into a military base anew.

“I think that if the President wants to stop this from happening, there is a need to review and rethink not just the VFA, but also the EDCA because that is the legal basis for the presence of US troops and equipment in our country,” Roque said.

The MDT states that Manila and Washington would come to each other’s defense in case of an attack by a foreign state, while EDCA allows the US military to maintain barracks and weapons storage structures inside five Philippine military camps.

Roque clarified that Duterte himself has not yet made any indication to scrap the MDT and EDCA even after he demanded the US government to pay the Philippines in exchange for keeping the VFA. “The President has not made any indication. But that’s the reality now and that’s the context by which he was demanding payment because our military bases are really being utilized by the Americans for prepositioning their troops and equipment,” he said.

Roque said there has not been any move by the US government to offer compensation to extend the validity of the VFA after Duterte’s pronouncement last week.

I look forward to a clear and consistent and pro-Filipino foreign and national defense policy whether it is about the VFA, on the whole mutual defense treaty, or even our relationship with China and other claimant countries of the West Philippine Sea.

Signed in 1998, the VFA allows American forces to enter the Philippines without passports and visas to allow them to participate in joint military drills in the host country.

Philippine officials said discussions were scheduled to take place this month to discuss whether it would keep the accord, a year after his administration first announced it was unilaterally terminating the VFA.

Duterte formally notified the US about its intent to revoke the VFA in February 2020, outraged that Senator Ronald “Bato” de la Rosa was denied a US visa.

He later suspended its abrogation ― twice ― due to “developments in the region.”