From the Philippine Daily Inquirer (Nov 12): Palace quickly opposes senator’s call for VFA abrogation

From the Philippine Daily Inquirer (Nov 12): Palace quickly opposes senator’s call for VFA abrogation

Malacañang on Monday shot down a senator’s suggestion that the Philippines consider terminating the Visiting Forces Agreement over the alleged dumping of toxic wastes in Subic Bay that officials said was neither nuclear nor chemical. President Benigno Aquino III’s spokesperson, Secretary Edwin Lacierda, said that the VFA would not apply to the present case because the alleged dumping involved a contractor of the US Navy, but not the US Navy itself. “The DFA has already spoken, and we have already spoken — the alleged dumping, if any, was done not by US Navy personnel; and therefore the provisions of the VFA do not apply in this case,’’ he said in a briefing. And since this was done by a third-party contractor, “our position is that the VFA need not be terminated,’’ he added. Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago suggested that the government consider terminating the VFA, which has been governing the conduct of visiting American forces, following reports of dumping of waste by the barge MT Glenn Guardian in Subic Bay. She said that US military forces were the sources of the hazardous waste, and that the US’ pivot to Asia would mean more visits by aircraft carriers, nuclear-powered submarines and increased presence of US naval forces in the country....

http://globalnation.inquirer.net/55976/palace-quickly-opposes-senators-call-for-vfa-abrogation