Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, November 4) — President Rodrigo Duterte may decide to hold off for another six months the abrogation of the country’s Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) with the United States, but the Chief Executive is not in a hurry to decide on the military agreement’s fate, his spokesperson said on Wednesday.
“That has the option of being further extended by another six months. So my thinking is, perhaps the President will invoke the second six month time to finally abrogate the VFA,” Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque told CNN Philippines’ The Source.
“What I am saying is, there is no immediate rush for the President to decide because the notification we sent to the Americans gives them at least one year leeway before it’s abrogated,” he explained.
The 1998 military deal was supposed to be scrapped on Aug. 9, but the Philippine government on June 1 suspended its pending termination in light of “political and other developments in the region.”
The suspension will last for six months until December but could be extended for another half a year, based on a diplomatic note earlier shared by Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro “Teddy Boy” Locsin Jr.
Locsin, for his part, noted that he will also study the situation and possible scenarios regarding the VFA’s revocation. In an earlier interview with CNN Philippines, the country’s top diplomat said he would be discussing the matter with Duterte, as the President would make the “final decision.”
The VFA is the first of two agreements between Washington and Manila about the treatment of their troops when they are in the U.S. or the Philippines. The deal includes provisions on visa and passport policies for American troops, and rights of the U.S. government to retain jurisdiction over its military personnel, among others.
