Duterte letting people decide on VFA
President Duterte said he is still undecided whether to continue or not the implementation of the VFA.
President Rodrigo Duterte will consult with the people before deciding on the fate of the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA), according to Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Salvador Panelo.
In his daily online program, “Counterpoint”, Panelo said that Duterte made mention about his plan to conduct a survey on whether to abrogate or continue the implementation of the VFA during the recent Cabinet meeting.
“President Duterte said he is still undecided whether to continue or not the implementation of the VFA. He said ‘I will ask the people on the issue,’” Panelo said.
At the same time, Panelo said that senators should allow Duterte to make a decision and stop making premature statements.
“Our country needs to act in unison. This is the reason why the president said that in order to put a stop to the criticisms from senators, we should consult the ordinary people,” Panelo added.
Panelo added that included in the consultation will be the members of the Armed Forces.
He also expressed confidence that the people will support the stand of Duterte on VFA.
“Let’s hear the sentiments of the people and I’m sure they will support the President on this as evident by his 91 percent trust and approval rating,” he noted.
On the other hand, Deputy Speaker Rufus Rodrigues urged Duterte to uphold the VFA between the Philippines and the United States as this would further intensify the alliance between the two nations.
“The President wants to feel the public pulse on the VFA. I think most Filipinos not only support the agreement but want the government to strengthen Philippine-US relations,” Rodriguez said.
Rodriguez, who is also the former House committee on constitutional amendments chair, said he is only echoing his constituents’ voice to the popular sentiment in support of forging closer ties with the US.
“Our people have a natural affinity with America, not only because of our decades of partnership but also because of our close cultural and social ties,” the lawmaker shared.
“America is also home for millions of Filipinos,” he noted.
He also observed that Filipinos trust America to honor its commitments to the Philippines, including those under the RP-US Mutual Defense Treaty.
Despite the present administration’s foreign policy pivot to China, he argued that Filipinos consider the US as a more reliable ally in all aspects of foreign relations.
“In contrast, they do not trust the Chinese, especially in the wake of their aggressive activities in the West Philippine Sea and inside our 200-mile exclusive economic zone, most of which Beijing illegally claims as part of its territorial waters,” the House leader stressed.
He added that Mr. Duterte’s motion that the US must extend more military and economic assistance to the country once VFA is maintained is a “reasonable proposal.”
“The President wants fair treatment, comparable to what America is giving its other allies in this part of the world,” he claimed.
Earlier this month, the President asked the US to “pay” if it wants to sustain its VFA with the Philippine government.
Last year, he also issued threats on revoking the deal if the US government would not supply the Philippines with Covid-19 vaccines.