MANILA – President Rodrigo Duterte announced on Tuesday the termination of a two-decade-old Visiting Forces Agreement with the United States (VFA), delivering on threats to downgrade an alliance important to U.S. interests.
U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper called this decision “unfortunate,” saying it would be a move in the wrong direction at a time when Washington and its allies were trying to press China to abide by “international rules of order” in Asia.
The mercurial Duterte, who has clashed with the US over several issues, decided to pull the plug on the troop rotation pact with the former colonial ruler to enable the Philippines to be more independent in its relations with other countries, his spokesman Salvador Panelo said.
“The president will not entertain any initiative coming from the U.S. government to salvage the VFA, neither will he accept any official invitation to visit the United States,” Panelo said.
The decision, sparked by the revocation of a U.S. visa held by a former police chief who led Duterte’s bloody war on drugs, could complicate U.S. military interests in the Asia-Pacific region as China’s ambitions rise.
It would also limit Philippine access to U.S. training and expertise in tackling Islamist extremism, natural disasters and maritime security threats.
Panelo said Duterte’s decision was a consequence of U.S. legislative and executive actions that “bordered on assaulting our sovereignty and disrespecting our judicial system”.
Given the importance of the alliance with the Philippines in broader U.S. strategy, Washington hopes the decision will be reversed or delayed before it takes legal effect in 180 days. (Reuters)
