The US State Department did not mention the termination of the Visiting Forces Agreement in its statement following a meeting with Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin, Jr in Washington, but said both countries are committed to their long-standing alliance.
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Locsin met with Deputy State Secretary Stephen Biegun on Thursday (Friday in Manila) days after President Rodrigo Duterte sought the scrapping of the military agreement in retaliation for the visa cancellation of his former police chief and now senator Roland Dela Rosa, who carried out the government's violent anti-drug war.
Before departing for the US, Locsin and Malacañang said the Philippines has started the process of terminating the VFA, a 1999 treaty that covers the treatment and presence of American forces in the country with or without military exercises with Filipino soldiers.
"In their introductory meeting, Deputy Secretary Biegun and Foreign Secretary Locsin reaffirmed the value of the US-Philippine alliance based on the deep, historic friendship and mutual respect between our two countries," the US statement said.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Locsin's counterpart, is currently in the United Kingdom.
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Locsin met with Deputy State Secretary Stephen Biegun on Thursday (Friday in Manila) days after President Rodrigo Duterte sought the scrapping of the military agreement in retaliation for the visa cancellation of his former police chief and now senator Roland Dela Rosa, who carried out the government's violent anti-drug war.
Before departing for the US, Locsin and Malacañang said the Philippines has started the process of terminating the VFA, a 1999 treaty that covers the treatment and presence of American forces in the country with or without military exercises with Filipino soldiers.
"In their introductory meeting, Deputy Secretary Biegun and Foreign Secretary Locsin reaffirmed the value of the US-Philippine alliance based on the deep, historic friendship and mutual respect between our two countries," the US statement said.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Locsin's counterpart, is currently in the United Kingdom.
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America is all we have —Locsin
"They also discussed the importance of that partnership to face current global health challenges," the statement said.
The two officials, it added, called for the denuclearization of North Korea and expressed commitment to ensure a "free and open Indo-Pacific in which all countries prosper side by side as sovereign, independent states."
The US did not cite its reason for revoking Dela Rosa's visa, but government critics believe that it is due to his involvement in Duterte's massive crackdown on illegal drugs that left thousands of drug suspects dead.
Duterte's drug war has been criticized by the US, United Nations, European Union, human rights groups and other countries.
There is also a US law that bans foreign government officials involved in human rights violations and corruption from entering America.
In scrapping the VFA, the Philippines would have to inform Washington that it is abrogating the agreement.
Former Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario admitted that the VFA is imperfect, but said abrogating it at this time would interrupt the two allies’ ongoing defense cooperation.
"The VFA is an essential agreement to both the Philippines and the USA in effectively implementing the Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT)," said Del Rosario. The MDT is the 69-year-old defense accord that binds America to defend its Asian ally from aggression.
Walter Lohman, Director of Asian Studies Center at the Heritage Foundation in Washington said ending the agreement would have a "major impact" on Philippines-US military alliance.
"There are still many things we could do together, but the atmosphere such move would generate would damage those efforts, too," Lohman told GMA News Online.
"The most important thing maybe Duterte is missing here is that the US-Philippines alliance is much more important to the Philippines than to the US. It’s important to us, no doubt. The US is grateful for it. But the US is essentially the Philippines’ security guarantor, and you live in a more dangerous neighborhood than we do."
https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/nation/724277/no-vfa-mention-in-us-statement-after-locsin-meeting/story/
America is all we have —Locsin
"They also discussed the importance of that partnership to face current global health challenges," the statement said.
The two officials, it added, called for the denuclearization of North Korea and expressed commitment to ensure a "free and open Indo-Pacific in which all countries prosper side by side as sovereign, independent states."
The US did not cite its reason for revoking Dela Rosa's visa, but government critics believe that it is due to his involvement in Duterte's massive crackdown on illegal drugs that left thousands of drug suspects dead.
Duterte's drug war has been criticized by the US, United Nations, European Union, human rights groups and other countries.
There is also a US law that bans foreign government officials involved in human rights violations and corruption from entering America.
In scrapping the VFA, the Philippines would have to inform Washington that it is abrogating the agreement.
Former Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario admitted that the VFA is imperfect, but said abrogating it at this time would interrupt the two allies’ ongoing defense cooperation.
"The VFA is an essential agreement to both the Philippines and the USA in effectively implementing the Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT)," said Del Rosario. The MDT is the 69-year-old defense accord that binds America to defend its Asian ally from aggression.
Walter Lohman, Director of Asian Studies Center at the Heritage Foundation in Washington said ending the agreement would have a "major impact" on Philippines-US military alliance.
"There are still many things we could do together, but the atmosphere such move would generate would damage those efforts, too," Lohman told GMA News Online.
"The most important thing maybe Duterte is missing here is that the US-Philippines alliance is much more important to the Philippines than to the US. It’s important to us, no doubt. The US is grateful for it. But the US is essentially the Philippines’ security guarantor, and you live in a more dangerous neighborhood than we do."
https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/nation/724277/no-vfa-mention-in-us-statement-after-locsin-meeting/story/
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