Philippines recalls termination of VFA with US
By Robina Asido
Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana announced on Friday the decision of President Rodrigo Duterte to recall the termination of the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) with the United States.
"Last night, after the meeting with the president, (US Defense) Sec. (Lloyd) Austin (III) met with the president in Malacanang, the president decided to recall or retract the termination letter for the VFA," Lorenzana said in a press conference with Austin in Camp Aguinaldo on Friday.
"So the VFA is in (full force) again, there is no termination letter pending we're back on track," he added.
Austin welcomes the decision of President Rodrigo Duterte as he emphasized the importance of the restoration of the VFA between the Philippines and the United States.
"On behalf of the United States, let me thank President Duterte for his decision to fully restore the VFA," he said.
"Our countries face a range of challenges, from the ... crisis to the pandemic. and as we do, a strong, resilient US-Philippine alliance will remain vital to the security, stability, and prosperity of the indo-pacific. A fully restored VFA will help us achieve that goal together," said Austin.
"I am especially grateful for our long-standing US - Philippines VFA, which enables us to respond quickly and seamlessly to disasters or crises. Thanks to the VFA, the Department of Defense can conduct more than 300 bilateral engagements in a year with the Armed Forces of the Philippines from expert exchanges to ship visits to ... exercises, and major training exercises, such as Balikatan," he added.
Austin also reaffirms the United States' commitment to the mutual defense treaty with the Philippines.
"Today Sec. Lorenzana and I had a productive discussion on additional ways to further deepen our long-standing cooperation, on several security issues important to both our countries. At the top of my agenda was finding ways to enhance and reinvigorate our alliance and our mutual defense treaty. these include maritime cooperation, support to further modernize the AFP, and investments that will help the Philippines navigate the region's complex security environment," he said.
"We also discussed our counter-terrorism cooperation and especially strong area of combat support. The US has supported the counterinsurgency effort in Mindanao since 2000, and we now provide support to the only main operation in the Indo-Pacific, Operation Pacific Eagle - the Philippines. I also reaffirm America's commitment to supporting a sovereign and the secure Philippines, and to building an even more capable alliance together," he added.
It can be recalled that just last month, Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. announced Duterte's decision to extend the suspension of the VFA termination for another six months.
The process of VFA termination was suspended twice in the previous year after Duterte ordered the abrogation in February 2020. DMS
