[ad_1]
MANILA, Philippines – President Rodrigo Duterte may postpone the repeal of the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) with the United States for another six months, Malacañang said Wednesday.
“That has the option of being extended for another six months. So my opinion is that maybe the president will invoke the second six-month term to finally repeal the VFA, ”said presidential spokesman Harry Roque in an interview on CNN Philippines.
“But anyway, what I am saying is that there is no immediate rush for the president to decide because the notice we send to the Americans gives them at least a year of margin before it is repealed.”
It was in February that the Philippine government, following Duterte’s instructions, sent a notice to the US embassy to terminate the VFA. It was supposed to take effect in August.
However, the scrapping of AGV was suspended for six months in June. The six-month suspension ends this December.
In the diplomatic note sent to the United States, the Secretary of Foreign Affairs, Teodoro Locsin Jr., said that the suspension is “extendable by the Philippines for another six months.”
The president’s order to end the pact followed reports of the cancellation of the US visa of Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, one of Duterte’s most trusted allies and the first chief of police.
The VFA, which came into force in 1999, provides a mechanism for visiting American soldiers and serves as a base for military exercises and humanitarian work.
JE
Read next
Subscribe to INQUIRER PLUS to get access to The Philippine Daily Inquirer and more than 70 other titles, share up to 5 gadgets, listen to the news, download from 4am and share articles on social media. Call 896 6000.
For comments, complaints or inquiries, please contact us.
[ad_2]
