WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 11th August, 2020) The Philippine government suspended the evacuation of US armed forces because of concerns over the recent aggressive behavior by China in the region and the novel coronavirus pandemic, the Inspector-General of Operation Pacific Eagle-Philippines said in a report to the US Congress on Tuesday.
"The US Embassy in Manila reported that the main reasons for this suspension were the COVID-19 pandemic, worsening economic trends and recent aggressive behavior by the People's Republic of China," the report said.
The Philippine government suspended its termination of the Visiting Forces Agreement between the Philippines and the United States, which was set to enter into effect in August, the report noted.
The latest Inspector-General report is the 11th quarterly report on Operation Pacific Eagle-Philippines, the overseas contingency operation to support the Armed Forces of the Philippines' fight against the Islamic State-East Asia (banned in Russia) and other terrorist organizations.
The Philippines has reported 139,538 novel coronavirus cases with 2,312 virus-related deaths, according to the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center on Tuesday.
