The Philippines has suspended its termination of the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) with the United States "in light of political and other developments in the region," Secretary of Foreign Affairs Teodoro Locsin Jr. said on Tuesday
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 02nd June, 2020) The Philippines has suspended its termination of the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) with the United States "in light of political and other developments in the region," Secretary of Foreign Affairs Teodoro Locsin Jr. said on Tuesday.
Back in February, the island nation notified the United States about launching the process of scrapping the pact that allowed US troops to stay on Philippine territory. The termination of the military agreement, which was signed in 1999, was due to go into effect on August 9.
"I issued this diplomatic note to the US ambassador. It has been received by Washington and well at that. The Note is self-explanatory and does not require comment except from me. The abrogation of the Visiting Forces Agreement has been suspended upon the President's instruction," the minister wrote on Twitter, attaching the note itself.
According to the note, the termination of the 1999 agreement is being suspended "in light of political and other developments in the region."
"The suspension shall start on even date and shall continue for six months, which period is extendible by the Philippines for another six months, after which the tolling of the initial period in Note Verbale No. 20-0463 dated 11 February 2020 shall resume," the note read.
The pact gives US forces access to Philippine territory for a range of activities but notably retained jurisdiction over soldiers that committed crimes in the country to be tried by US military tribunals.
In May, the Pentagon said that the termination of the VFA would likely complicate US counterterrorism operations in the region. President Donald Trump, in turn, stated that he does not mind if the Philippines terminates the pact. He, however, said that the United Sates has helped Manila conduct operations against the Islamic State terror group (banned in Russia) inside the Philippines.
The Philippines' move to scrap the deal was part of a series of tit-for-tat measures that saw the US deny visas to Philippine politicians purportedly although denied by Washington over Manila's detention of human rights lawyer and politician Leila de Lima.
