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By APD writer Melo M. Acuña
Presidential Spokesperson and Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Salvador S. Panelo said Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro L. Locsin, Jr. has signed a notice formalizing the country’s desire to end the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) with the United States of America. He said the document has already been delivered and received by the Embassy of the United States earlier today.
“The recent action undertaken by Secretary Locsin vis-à-vis the VFA was made pursuant to the instruction of Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea, upon the written direction of the President himself last night, as we have previously announced last Friday, which was misreported by a few segments of the media and became a subject of erroneous commentaries by some radio and political commentators as false news and a sign of the President’s men clashing in the government’s stand,” Secretary Panelo said in a statement released late Tuesday afternoon.
He added there are inequities in the provisions found in the VFA and President Duterte’s decision to terminate the agreement “is a consequence of a series of legislative and executive actions” by the US government that bordered on assaulting Philippine sovereignty and disrespect for the judicial system.
“In addition, the President believes that our country cannot forever rely on other countries for the defense of the state and should instead strengthen our own resources for our defenses,” Secretary Panelo added.
It was made clear that President Duterte “will not entertain any initiative coming from the US government to salvage the VFA, neither will he accept any official invitation to visit the United States.”
“All these actions are anchored on the policy of President Rodrigo Roa Duterte to chart an independent foreign policy with our foreign relations with other states being based on national interests and general welfare,” he concluded.
(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)
