Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has given formal notice to the US of his decision to scrap a bilateral Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA), officials said yesterday, following through on a repeated threat to downgrade the defense alliance.
Duterte, who has made no secret of his grudge with the US and his disdain for his country’s close military relationship, believed it was time to be more militarily independent, presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo said.
“It’s about time we rely on ourselves, we will strengthen our own defenses and not rely on any other country,” Panelo told a regular briefing, quoting Duterte.
Defense ties between the Philippines and former colonial ruler the US go back to the early 1950s and are governed by a Mutual Defense Treaty, which remains intact, along with an Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement made under former US president Barack Obama’s administration.
Duterte made the decision after the top commander of his war on drugs, former police chief Ronald dela Rosa, said his US visa had been rescinded over an issue related to the detention of a Philippine senator and top critic of Duterte.
The VFA, signed in 1998, accords legal status to thousands of US troops rotated in the country for humanitarian assistance and military exercises, dozens of which take place annually.
It is the first time Duterte has scrapped an agreement with the US, having throughout his more than three years in office denounced Washington for hypocrisy and for treating the Philippines “like a dog on a leash.”
Despite reassurances from his generals, Duterte has long accused US forces of conducting clandestine activities. In a rambling speech on Monday he said that US nuclear weapons were being stored in his country.
He has said that the presence of US forces makes the Philippines a potential target for aggression.
His move follows a Philippine Senate hearing last week during which the Philippine secretaries of defense and foreign affairs spoke in favor of the VFA, both noting its overall benefits.
Duterte said even US President Donald Trump wanted him to change his mind.
“Trump and others are trying to save the Visiting Forces Agreement. I said I don’t want,” he said.
Philippine Secretary of Foreign Affairs Teodoro Locsin Jr confirmed on Twitter that the US embassy in Manila had received notice.
The termination takes effect 180 days from one side giving notice.
Duterte favors warmer ties with China and Russia than the US, and has praised those countries and inflated their military contributions and donations, which are dwarfed by the US$1.3 billion provided by the US since 1998.
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