Bong Go to respect Duterte decision on VFA

MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Bong Go has vowed to respect whatever President Duterte decides to do with the country’s Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) with the United States.

As the chief architect of the country’s foreign policy, Duterte has the prerogative to make any decision on the matter because the Philippines is a “sovereign and an independent country,” Go said at the groundbreaking of the Northeastern Misamis General Hospital in Villanueva, Misamis Oriental.

The senator said the public should bear in mind that Duterte only has national interest and the welfare of Filipinos in mind.

“Whatever is decided by the President won’t mean demanding payment – just the right compensation for the Filipinos,” he said.

He stressed that he and the President won’t let any nation take advantage of Filipinos.

“We will not allow Filipinos to get the raw end of the deal. The interest of the Filipino people will always be our priority,” Go said in Filipino.

Duterte earlier demanded that the US government pay if it wants to keep the VFA, which allows US troops to maintain presence in the country and hold joint maneuvers with Filipino troops.

Duterte ordered last year the abrogation of the agreement, but suspended its enforcement due to the pandemic and “heightened superpower tensions.”

When Duterte first proposed the abrogation of the VFA in February last year, Go expressed confidence that the development would be an opportunity for the country to prove that it’s not dependent on any nation.

The termination of the VFA, he said then, “is a chance for us to write a new and better chapter in Philippines-United States relations. We should now be able to renew our friendship, reaffirm our ties and resume cooperation as true co-equals.”

In response to his Senate colleagues’ criticisms of the President’s position on VFA, Go said he acknowledged their position as members of an independent branch of government.

“We are a separate branch of government and it is the right of each senator to express their views. After all, we are a working democracy,” he said.

“Despite some differences in opinions, the Senate as a whole has been very supportive of the legislative agenda of President Duterte,” he added.