No extortion in having US pay for VFA to stay, Palace says
MANILA, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte's demand for the US to "pay" to keep the Visiting Forces Agreement is not extortion as the Philippines can become a "valid military target" because of the presence of American troops and equipment in the country, Malacañang said Monday.
Signed in 1998, the VFA permits Filipino and American troops to conduct joint exercises on Philippine soil. Last Friday, Duterte said the US has to pay if it wants the VFA to continue, arguing that the pact is a "shared responsibility" that does not come free.
Critics have assailed the president's remark, with Vice President Leni Robredo likening it to extortion. She said that the decision to keep or scrap the agreement should not hinge on money.
Sen. Panfilo Lacson, meanwhile, said there is a more civil way to ask for compensation from a longtime ally of the Philippines.
Presidential spokesman Harry Roque claimed that Duterte's position on the issue was not about extortion but "the promotion of the national interests of the Filipinos." If a war breaks out, the Philippines will not be spared by the enemies of the US because of the presence of American soldiers and facilities in the country, he added.
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"Some are reacting that it was extortion. It's not extortion... Will the enemies of Americans spare us even if we are not a party to their conflict? No, because we allowed the presence of American soldiers and their equipment here in the Philippines," Roque said at a press briefing.
"The president said it should not come for free because of the potentially huge damage that the Philippines may suffer if it gets caught in a crossfire or a conflict that it is not part of. But since the American soldiers and their equipment are here, we can become a valid military target," he added.
"So is it right to seek payment to allow American soldiers and their equipment to remain in the Philippines? Why not?"
Meager assistance?
Roque also claimed that the US has provided a small amount of military assistance to the Philippines despite their longstanding alliance. Citing a study by the Stimson Center on counterterrorism spending, Roque said the Philippines only got $3.9 billion from the US, much lower than the $16.4 billion given to Pakistan.
"When did Pakistan become an ally of America? They do not have a basis to say that they have a longstanding relationship with America unlike the Filipinos who died in the Death March during World War II," the Palace spokesman said.
The US established diplomatic relations with Pakistan in 1947, according to the US State Department website. The Philippines, meanwhile, is a former US colony.
Roque also cited the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement, a 2014 deal that provides US forces access to some Philippine military bases.
"So wais po ang mga Amerikano, hindi na sila dapat gumastos, hindi na sila gagastos sa permanent bases, gagamitin na lang nila iyong ating mga base militar. Pero tingnan ninyo po, magkano lang ang nakukuha natin (Americans are shrewd. They did not spend for permanent bases, they only used our military bases. Yet look, we only got a small amount from them)," Roque said.
"Bakit hindi naman natin kukunin ang mas malaking halaga eh napakadami po nating gastos lalo na dito sa COVID-19 (Why not get a larger amount at a time when we are spending for a lot of things especially COVID-19 response)?" he added.
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Asked what kind of payment the Philippines should receive from the US, Roque said: "Pakistan got $16 billion, we think we should get something similar or close to that amount but definitely not the amount we're currently getting."
Roque also parried criticisms against Duterte's manner of seeking payment from the US, saying the president is the "sole architect of foreign policy."
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"If the Americans don't agree, then there is also the previous declaration of the Filipino president that he will terminate the VFA."
Last year, Duterte said he would scrap the VFA following the cancellation of the US visa of senator and former police chief Ronald dela Rosa, who strategized the controversial war on illegal drugs. The president deferred the termination of the VFA in June, citing "political and other developments in the region." The suspension was extended for another six months last November.
Roque quoted retired Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio as saying that Americans did not intervene in maritime disputes despite the Mutual Defense Treaty it signed with the Philippines.
"We lost an island, not just Panatag Shoal. But America did not help. The consistent position of America when it comes to the disputed areas in the West Philippine is 'America does not take sides on the ongoing territorial controversy,'" Roque said.
"So everybody's question is what is the use of the Mutual Defense Treaty if we cannot use it if we lose a territory?" he added.
READ: US reaffirms commitment to Mutual Defense Treaty with Philippines
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