Palace: No new defense agreements with US
MANILA, Philippines — The Duterte administration is not seeking a new deal that could possibly replace the Visiting Forces Agreement with the US, Malacañang said Sunday, even as it gave assurance that existing defense pacts with other countries won't be touched unless there are "compelling reasons" to do so.
Philippine Ambassador to the US Jose Manuel “Babe” Romualdez has been quoted as saying that Manila and Washington are finding ways to come up with an agreement similar to VFA, which was terminated by President Rodrigo Duterte due to what he described as "disrespectful" acts of some American officials.
Military agreements involving Japan and Australia may be used as templates for the new pact with the US, the envoy was quoted by news reports as saying.
READ: Philippine, US envoys working on new defense pact after VFA termination
But presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo said the talks about a possible new agreement with the US are not sanctioned by Duterte.
"Actually I was talking to Ambassador Romualdez. He denied it. It's like he was saying that they are studying other agreements, whether they are disadvantageous or advantageous to the country," Panelo said in a radio interview.
Romualdez, who spoke at a forum organized by think tank Stratbase ADR Institute on Friday, said: "We are now in the process of trying to find ways and means to be able to see how we can either come out with something similar, perhaps again still following the president's thinking about the sovereignty issue."
But Panelo said on Sunday that this is not so.
"Wala, walang basbas ni Presidente. Initiative siguro yun ng counterparts ni Ambassador Romualdez. Siyempre, sila ang apektado, eh kaya sila ang magi-initiate ng mga magandang panukala (The talks were not sanctioned by the President. Perhaps it was an initiative of the counterparts of Ambassador Romualdez. Of course, they are affected so they would initiate good proposals)," he added.
READ: Beyond Bato's US visa: A look at issues previously raised against VFA
Palace: Duterte determined to scrap VFA
Panelo said the president, who has been accused of human rights violations by some American senators, is determined to scrap the VFA.
"Even assuming it's true, these are just recommendations to the president. The president's position remains unchanged. He still wants to scrap the VFA. He wants us to be self-reliant. That's his main point," the Palace spokesman said.
Panelo previously said the president has four reasons for terminating the VFA, which allows Filipino and American forces to conduct joint military drills in the Philippines. They are the approval of a US Senate resolution condemning the alleged human rights violations in the Philippines; the call of some American senators to release detained opposition senator Leila de Lima; the US travel ban against people behind the arrest and detention of de Lima; and the cancellation of the US visa of senator and former police chief Ronald dela Rosa.
Panelo also denied that the US-Japanese Status of Forces Agreement and the Philippines-Australia Status of Visiting Forces Agreement would be used as references for a new agreement with the US.
"What he (Romualdez) was saying was the agreements involving Japan and Australia are good and they can serve as bases in the future. But the president said he does not want (a new deal with the US)," Panelo said.
READ: A better VFA? A look at the Status of Visiting Forces Agreement with Australia
Other military deals
Panelo said existing military agreements with other countries would not be terminated unless there are "compelling reasons" to do so. He said interference with Philippine sovereignty could be one of the reasons that would prod Duterte to drop an agreement with another country.
"Now, if you ask, how about the pending military agreements with other countries? They would continue because there is no reason for the president to terminate that for now," Panelo said.
"The VFA was terminated because he (Duterte) does not want, as a matter of principle, interference with or attacks against our sovereignty...it has been disadvantageous to us plus the fact that our country believes we have to stand on our own as a country. We can't always rely on other countries for our defense."
Panelo said the president has no reason to scrap military agreements with other countries for now. He, however, floated the possibility that the Philippines may no longer renew the deals once they expire.
"But eventually, kasi meron namang expiry period 'yan, eventually siguro hindi na ire-renew 'yan. O kaya naman, kung meron na namang dahilan si presidente (they have expiry periods. Eventually, perhaps they would no longer be renewed. Or maybe the President would cite reasons)," the Palace spokesman said.
The Status of Visiting Forces Agreement with Australia does not actually have an expiration period and "shall remain in force until the expiration of
one hundred eighty (180) days from the date on which either Party gives the other Party notice in writing, truough diplomatic channels, that it desires to
terminate the Agreement."
The Philippines and Japan, meanwhile, signed a "Memorandum on Defense Cooperation and Exchanges between the Ministry of Defense of Japan and the Department of National Defense of the Republic of the Philippines" in 2015.
Asked what deal would no longer be renewed, Panelo reiterated that existing military agreements like those with Australia and Japan would not be touched by the president "unless there is a reason compelling him to do so."
RELATED: VFA termination could scrap EDCA, suspend Mutual Defense Treaty — analysts
MDT, EDCA 'still there'
Pressed about the status of Philippines-US military pacts Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) and Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT), Panelo replied: "Sa ngayon nandyan pa 'yon. Pero eventually paunta na tayo doon (For now, they are still there. But we will get there)."
"In other words, since the VFA strengthens the two agreements...if you remove it, that means the two deals would weaken. Then you will get there. If the basis of the president is to be self-reliant, all the logical consequences will come."
The Philippines and the US signed the MDT in 1951 to strengthen their defense capabilities and to prepare themselves for possible external attacks. The EDCA, meanwhile, was signed in 2014 and provides US forces access to some Philippine military bases.
Panelo said Duterte does not need to order the security cluster to review the MDT and the EDCA.
"These are always reviewed by concerned agencies. They don't have to be told by the president," he said.
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