PRESIDENT Duterte remains undecided if he will scrap or replace the country’s Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) with the United States (US).
In an online press briefing on Monday, Presidential spokesman Harry Roque disclosed Duterte still has no final position on the matter for now.
“The last thing he told me is he still has no decision on VFA. He is still thinking about it,” Roque said.
“The President knows the things to consider before deciding [on the matter] since he already studied the issue of VFA and the US and Philippine relations for a long time,” he added.
Roque issued the statements when asked for an update on the abrogation of the 1998 accord, which allows US military forces to enter the country’s territory, upon the instruction of Duterte.
The President had moved to terminate the treaty following the cancellation of the tourist visa of Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, whose earlier stint as chief of the National Police had placed him in the crosshairs of human-rights campaigners for the conduct of the anti-drugs war.
The abrogation proceedings were initiated in February 2020, but later suspended due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Duterte last talked about the VFA during his public address in February 2021, where he said the US government must “pay” if it wants to maintain the VFA.
Roque said the President is considering retaining the VFA in case the country needs reinforcement in its territorial dispute with China in the West Philippine Sea.
“Only the President could decide if there will be a new VFA or the said agreement will be junked. Let us wait for his decision,” Roque said.