With the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) under fire because of the recent murder of a Filipino transgender woman Jeffrey “Jennifer” Laude allegedly involving a member of the US Marines, President Benigno Aquino III brushed off calls for the abrogation of the VFA on Monday in Leyte.
During the commemoration of the Leyte Gulf Landings in Palo, Leyte, Aquino answered questions regarding Laude’s case and the VFA where he said “Bakit natin kailangan i-abrogate ang VFA? Name me any place that doesn’t have crime. Should the sin of one person be reflective of the entire country? I don’t think so.”
The President however claimed that the government will still pursue justice for the slain transgender.
However, patriotic organization Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (BAYAN) released a statement lambasting Aquino’s assertions regarding the VFA.
Renato Reyes Jr., Secretary General of BAYAN said that the President again displayed his “puppetry and douchebaggery.” Reyes said that the issue of the Laude murder case is not just of the murder itself but of national sovereignty. He slammed the President for “failing to comprehend” that the issue is the unequal US-PH relations.
“Aquino pays lip service to justice, but what kind of justice will be achieved under the VFA? And how can justice be achieved when our very sovereignty is being violated by the VFA. Our government cannot even enforce its own laws on these US soldiers. US soldiers can choose to ignore subpoenas by Philippine authorities,” Reyes said.
Protest actions are being readied tomorrow by BAYAN to coincide with the Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on the Subic murder.
