Lawmakers want VFA terminated

MANILA, Philippines - Lawmakers on Tuesday urged the government to terminate the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) between the Philippines and the United States citing the unrestricted use of US drones in the country’s airspace as one of the reasons.

Reps. Luzviminda Ilagan and Emmi de Jesus (Gabriela Party-list), authors of House Resolution 3003, said the unrestricted use of US drones and the illegal entry of US navy ship to the Tubbataha reef in Palawan are “clear violations of the country’s national sovereignty”.

De Jesus cited reports that a US-made unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), drifting some 300 meters from the shore of Sitio Tacdugan, San Jacinto town in Ticao Island, Masbate, was recovered on January 6, 2013 by fishermen.

Reports said the UAV which was identified as a BQM-74E Chukar III target drone manufactured by US-based Northrup Grumman Corp., which, according to the Chukar III data sheer published online by the Borthrup Grumman Corp. itself, is 3.93 m long and 71 cm high with a wingspan of 1.75 m, and normally used in reconnaissance mission by the US military although it is capable of delivering payloads and conducting surveillance operations.

De Jesus also cited an article by Mark Mazzetti published on July 6, 2012 by the New York Times reported that in 2006 an American Predator unmanned aerial vehicle, or drone, fired a “barrage of hellfire missiles” in the jungles of the Philippines. The drone strike was an attempt to kill Indonesian Bali-bomber Umar Patek.

Ilagan said there are no clear guidelines on the use of these unmanned aerial vehicles in the Philippine territory and it appears that the US government has been using the VFA to gain unrestricted movement in the country’s airspace.

“Aircraft operated by or for the United States armed forces should observe local air traffic control regulations while in the Philippines,” Ilagan said, citing Article 8, Section 3 of the VFA which deals with the treatment of visiting US troops entering the country to conduct bilateral exercises and other defense cooperation activities approved in the Philippine government.

"The unrestricted use of US drones in the Philippines airspace is a clear violation of our national sovereignty as no sovereign nation would allow a foreign power unhampered use of domestic airspace. Drones can be used in surveillance and in actual combat operations,” Ilagan said.

The Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas has also urged Congress to investigate the incident.