DUTERTE: FOR AGREEING TO END VFA, TRUMP DESERVES REELECTION

President Duterte welcomed US President Donald Trump’s reaction to the notice of termination of the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) as a principled stand of a good leader who deserves to be reelected, Malacañang said on Saturday.

Trump on Wednesday did not appear to be bothered and casually accepted Manila’s decision to withdraw from the VFA, saying it was “fine” with him as the United States would even save “a lot of money.”

In a statement, presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo on Saturday said Mr. Duterte “is glad that the American President understands and respects his decision to end the Visiting Forces Agreement.”

Mr. Duterte also believes Trump would have done the same thing if he were the President of the Philippines, “given his character and principled stand on a matter of national interest,” Panelo said.

And if Mr. Duterte were the US President, he would have reacted the same way as Trump, he added.

“It is President Trump’s circumspect and judicious reaction to the termination of the VFA that made PRRD [give] the following remarks: President Trump is a good President and he deserves to be reelected,” he said.

The United States will hold presidential elections in November.

A matter of principle

Panelo said Mr. Duterte terminated the VFA as a matter of principle, after US legislative and executive actions disrespected the country’s judicial system and assaulted Philippine sovereignty.

He was referring to the cancellation of the US visa of Sen. Ronald dela Rosa, the chief implementer of Mr. Duterte’s brutal war on drugs, and the US Senate resolution calling for the release from detention of Sen. Leila de Lima, the President’s most strident critic.

“As a matter of principle and national pride, being the head of an aggrieved and insulted state, he had been compelled to take a bold, decisive and studied action,” Panelo said.

He noted Trump’s statement that the United States helped the Philippines in crushing Islamic State terrorists during the siege of Marawi, and he said Malacañang was aware of and grateful for this assistance.

But he said the Philippines had given back to the United States as well.

“We wish to remind our erstwhile bosom ally that we too fought side by side with them in fighting the Japanese Imperial forces during the Second World [War],” Panelo said.

Time to be self-reliant

Without the VFA, the Philippines must strengthen its own defense capabilities, he said.

“Reliance on another country to defend our motherland from whoever desires to threaten our territorial integrity as well as to assault our sovereignty will only further weaken and stagnate our already limited resources,” Panelo said.

Mr. Duterte believes the Philippines has to stand on its own feet, he said.

“As the President says in rationalizing why we have to stand alone and depending on our own resources in fighting the enemies of the state: If not now, when? Kung hindi ngayon, kailan pa?” he said.