Senate leaders urge Duterte: Reconsider VFA abrogation

MANILA, Philippines — As a Senate panel prepares to begin its review of the country’s military arrangements with the United States, three senators have filed a resolution urging President Duterte to reconsider his plan to have the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) revoked.

Senate President Vicente Sotto III, Minority Leader Franklin Drilon and Sen. Panfilo Lacson jointly filed on Monday Resolution 312 expressing the sense of the Senate on the need for Duterte to reconsider his plan to unilaterally withdraw from the VFA with the US.

The filing of the resolution came two days before the scheduled review of the security pact along with the 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT) and Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) with the US by the Senate committee on foreign relations headed by Sen. Aquilino Pimentel III. The chamber will still have to vote on the resolution.

“We concede that by constitutional fiat and by intrinsic nature of his office, the President, as head of state, is the sole organ and authority in the externals affairs of the country, being the chief architect of the nation’s foreign policy in the conduct of the external affairs of the nation,” the resolution read.

“Fully recognizing the authority of the Chief Executive and without intending to disrespect a co-equal body, prior to unilaterally terminating the VFA, the Senate should be given the opportunity to conduct a review and assessment of the impact of the withdrawal on the country’s security and economy, specifically with regard to intelligence information sharing, military aid and financing, and technical assistance extended by the US relative to the continuing threats posed by domestic and foreign terrorist groups and, ultimately, to the stability and security in the Asia-Pacific region,” it said.

The senators said as a policymaking body, the Senate should likewise give its view and opinion on the repercussions of the scrapping of the VFA on the MDT and EDCA.

They said a careful deliberation of the issue must be taken into account before arriving at a final decision, which will ultimately affect not only the country’s security and economy, but also that of other countries in the region.

The resolution seeks to express the sense of the Senate “to earnestly request the President to reconsider his planned abrogation of the Visiting Forces Agreement in the meantime that the Senate is conducting a review and impact assessment with the end in view of ensuring the continued safety and security of the Philippines and the Asia-Pacific, and maintain the existing balance of power within the region.”

President Duterte threatened to abrogate the VFA in response to the cancellation of the US visa of Dela Rosa and to other events involving the country’s national integrity and sovereignty, aggravated by a “series of disrespectful acts” of the United States, as expressed by presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo.

In their resolution, the senators said they acknowledge the intrinsic nature of the Office the President as the sole organ and authority in the external affairs of the country.

The Philippines’ principal military agreement with the US is the MDT signed on Aug. 30, 1951. The US and the Philippines also forged the Military Bases Agreement on March 14, 1947, formalizing, among others, the use of installations in Philippine territory by US military personnel.

On May 27, 1999, the Senate ratified the Philippines’ and the US’s agreement on VFA with the primary goal of facilitating the promotion of optimal cooperation between US and Philippine military forces in the event of an attack by a common foe.

On April 28, 2014, the two countries signed the EDCA aimed at supplementing the existing VFA through mutual cooperation in developing individual and collective capacity to resist armed attacks.

In the resolution, the senators said the Senate should give its view and opinion on the repercussions of a unilateral withdrawal of the VFA on the existing MDT and the EDCA with the US.

“A careful deliberation of these matters must be taken into account before finally arriving at a decision which will ultimately affect not only the security and economy of the Philippines but also that of our neighboring countries in the Asia Pacific region,” the resolution read.