Defense sector, military hoping for VFA continuation: Lorenzana

From the Philippine News Agency (Feb 11, 2021): Defense sector, military hoping for VFA continuation: Lorenzana (By Priam Nepomuceno)  February 11, 2021, 2:32 pm

Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana. (File photo courtesy of DND)

While the final decision on the fate of the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) is up to President Rodrigo Duterte, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said the defense sector and the military are hoping that it will remain in effect.

"Well, we at the Defense Department and the Armed Forces, the general feeling in the Armed Forces is for the VFA to continue," Lorenzana said when asked on whether he will push for its resumption during an interview with ABS-CBN News Channel Thursday.

In February 2020, Duterte scrapped the VFA over its alleged inequities in its treaty provisions and the US’s alleged assault on the country’s sovereignty and disrespect for its judicial system.

He later decided to suspend the planned revocation of the military pact with Washington DC last June and again in November.

Lorenzana also said that the US and the Philippines signed the VFA in 1999 to keep on developing inter-operability doctrines with their Armed Forces and has nothing to do with the issues on China.

"I don't think the purpose there is to contain or to face China's threat in the South China Sea, there was no threat then and the main purpose of the VFA was for (the) two countries, the two militaries of these countries to keep on developing doctrines, joint doctrines, inter-operability in support of the Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT), I think (that's) the main purpose of the VFA," he said.

As this developed, Lorenzana, citing his introductory phone call with US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, said this year's "Balikatan" exercises will push through.

"I also mentioned to him (Austin) our yearly military exercises like the 'Balikatan' which will resume sometime this May, it was suspended last year (due to the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic) so hopefully we can resume again this May," Lorenzana said.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1130365