Philippines Extends VFA Suspension by Another Six Months

• The Philippines will keep in place a key military deal with the U.S. that President Rodrigo Duterte has threatened to terminate.
• Duterte is extending for another six months the suspension of the abrogation of the Visiting Forces Agreement “while he studies and both sides further address his concerns regarding particular aspects of the agreement,” Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin said in a video.
• Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana issued a statement in support of the move, adding the additional review period would help Duterte “arrive at an informed decision on the matter.”
• “Our bilateral cooperation with the U.S. is geared towards upholding our national interest and to the extent necessary to enhance the Philippines’ defense capability,” he said.
• This would be the third time that the Philippines asked for six months to put the termination of the VFA on hold.
• The Philippines in Feb 20 notified the U.S. that it would terminate the pact, which has governed military cooperation between the two countries since 1998. It’s key to implementing a mutual defense treaty signed in 1951, shortly after the Philippines achieved independence from the U.S.
• Duterte also extended the stay order in Nov 20. Politicians in the Philippines have already started maneuvering ahead of a presidential election in 2022 in which policy toward the U.S. and China is expected to remain a key issue.
• Asked when the official end of the suspension will be, the DFA said they have to “check with our American Affairs office first on what the official reckoning date will be, usually it is from the time the other party has been officially notified.”

External Link : https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2021/06/14/2105480/vfa-termination-still-hold-duterte-studies-defense-pact

External Link : https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-06-14/philippines-extends-u-s-military-deal-by-another-six-months