VFA abrogation deferred for another 6 months

MANILA, Philippines — President Duterte has decided to extend the suspension of the abrogation of the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) by another six months, Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. announced yesterday.

He said the President instructed him to convey the decision to the US government.

“My President, Rodrigo Roa Duterte, has instructed me to convey with the appropriate formality his decision to extend the suspension of the abrogation of the Visiting Forces Agreement by yet another six months, to enable us to find a more enhanced, mutually beneficial, mutually agreeable and more effective and lasting arrangement on how to move forward in our mutual defense,” Locsin said.

In a statement addressed to US National Security Adviser Robert O’Brien, the secretary said a diplomatic note will be sent.

The past four years have changed the South China Sea from one of uncertain intentions to one of predictability, resulting in “stability with regard to what can and cannot be done, what will and will not be acceptable with regard to the conduct of any protagonist in the South China Sea,” Locsin said.

“Clarity and strength have never posed a risk. It is confusion and indecision that aggravate risk,” he added.

A great deal of credit for the renewal of stability and security, he said, goes to deft diplomacy, unequivocal expressions of policy, sturdy postures of strength combined with unfailing tact and pragmatic national security advice exhibited by both governments in the same timeframe.

Duterte instructed Locsin in June to inform the US side that he decided to suspend the pending termination of the VFA.

Locsin said the “changing circumstances” of the world in a time of the COVID-19 pandemic and “heightened superpower tensions” led to Duterte’s decision to suspend termination of the agreement.

The diplomatic note provides that “the suspension shall start on even date and shall continue for six months which period is extendible by the Philippines for another six months, after which the tolling of the initial period in Note Verbale No. 20-0463 dated 11 February 2020 shall resume.”

The Philippines sent the US a notice of termination of the VFA, an essential agreement to both countries in effectively implementing the Mutual Defense Treaty.

No surprise

Militants said the President’s extension of the VFA for another six months comes as no surprise.

“The Philippine government wants to curry favor with the Biden presidency. President Duterte wants continued US support for counter-insurgency operations and widespread human rights violations through state terror,” said Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) secretary-general Renato Reyes.

He added, “We can also speculate that our national sovereignty is being bartered for the promise of a COVID-19 vaccine, even when no such thing is on the table. The same thing was invoked during the pardon for convicted killer Joseph Scott Pemberton.”

BAYAN said Duterte is not at all serious in terminating the VFA. “He may use its extension as a means to get US support for his fascist regime,” Reyes said. – Rhodina Villanueva