Duterte keeps VFA after getting ‘clarity’ on US commitment to defense treaty
The Philippines' military alliance with the United States remains intact after President Duterte reconsidered an earlier decision to scrap the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) on the final year of his presidency.
Presidential spokesman Harry Roque explained that the
President's decision to keep the VFA was reached after getting the US commitment to regard the Philippines as a “sovereign equal” and reaffirms its obligation under the 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT).
“PRRD’s decision to recall the abrogation of VFA is based on upholding PH strategic core interests, the clear definition of PH-US alliance as one between sovereign equals, and clarity of US position on its obligations and commitments under MDT,” Roque said in a statement Friday, July 30.
That's the way to do it, Senator Panfilo M. Lacson, chairman of the Senate National Defense and Security Committee, said upon learning of the President’s decision.
“It goes without saying, I fully support the President's decision to retract his earlier decision to terminate the RP-US Visiting Forces Agreement,” Lacson said.
Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana had also said the President ordered the retraction of the termination of the VFA after an “open and frank” meeting with US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin III at Malacañang on Thursday.
“Last night, after the meeting of Secretary Austin and Mr. President in Malacañang, the President decided to recall or retract the termination [of] the VFA,” Lorenzana said in a joint press briefing with the Pentagon Chief at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City.
Duterte and Austin have agreed to forge closer PH-US cooperation on fighting the pandemic, illegal drugs and other transnational crimes, among others, during their meeting.
Austin, on a two-day visit to Manila since Thursday, assured Duterte that the United States wanted a strong relationship with the Philippines as “equal sovereign partner.”
Lacson maintained that the termination of the VFA would do our country's security situation more harm than good, especially at this time when incursions into Philippine territories in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) have become “more aggressive and unabated.”
“This is not to mention the continuing threats of terrorism in our country,” he stressed.
Under the MDT, the Philippines and United States agreed to come to each other’s aid in case of an armed attack in the Pacific Area. The President recently expressed doubts that the United States would risk its troops to defend the Philippines in case it is under attack amid the territorial dispute with China. Duterte, in his sixth and final State of the Nation Address Monday, claimed that the United States often declared its non-interference policy when it comes to boundaries of countries. (With reports from Mario B. Casayuran and Martin A. Sadongdong)