Almost at the same time news broke of the Lower House’s approval of the much-criticized “anti terrorism bill” on second reading, Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Secretary Teddy Boy Locsin, Jr. posted on his Twitter account that he issued a diplomatic note dated June 1, 2020 to the US Ambassador on the suspension of the termination of the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA).
I issued this diplomatic note to the US ambassador. It has been received by Washington and well at that. The Note is self-explanatory and does not require comment except from me. The abrogation of the Visiting Forces Agreement has been suspended upon the President’s instruction. pic.twitter.com/BXqzyNpOty
— Teddy Locsin Jr. (@teddyboylocsin) June 2, 2020
Locsin, as DFA Secretary, is the president’s alter ego on matters of foreign affairs.
On the same day as Locsin’s tweet, the first time Filipinos learned of government’s reversal of its decision, the US Embassy in the Philippines issued a statement welcoming the Philippine government’s decision.
President Rodrigo Duterte threatened the cancellation of VFA on January 23, a day after his friend and former Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief and now Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa lamented the cancellation of his US visa that was said to be in connection with his role in Duterte’s bloody war on drugs. Duterte said he has had enough US’ meddling.
But it would take the Philippine government until February 11 to issue the notice of termination of VFA to US, as Locsin revealed in a February 6 Senate hearing on the impending VFA cancellation that Duterte himself delayed the serving of the notice to the US government. The agreement would be terminated 180 days after serving the notice, supposedly on August 9.
May 27 this year saw the 21st year of the VFA as various progressive groups heeded the government to carry on with the termination of VFA and all other lopsided agreements past and current Philippine administrations signed with the US government. The move to terminate VFA was welcome by groups, but not for the same reason as Dela Rosa’s US visa getting cancelled.
It could be remembered that Duterte said he could not be compelled to change his decision to terminate the VFA even after some senators questioned this move before the Supreme Court (SC), asking the requirement of their concurrence to the abrogation of a treaty as much as their concurrence was required to approve it.
“They cannot compel me. I refuse to be compelled. I have terminated it, tapos ang problema ko (my worries are over),” he insisted on March 9, same day as senators filed their petition at the High Court.
“As far as I am concerned, we are beginning to count the 180 days for them to pack up and go. I am not reneging on the VFA [abrogation] and I am not going to America to discuss this with anybody though I respect highly of [US President Donald] Trump.”
Before this, former Presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo said on February 21 that Duterte’s decision to unilaterally terminate VFA is “final” but conceded that Malacañang would follow the decision of the SC who he says has the final say on the issue.
