(Eagle News)–President Rodrigo Duterte’s threat to end the Visiting Forces Agreement if the United States does not reverse the cancellation of Senator Ronald Dela Rosa’s US visa was all about “one-sided foreign relations,” the senator himself said.
In a statement, Dela Rosa said Duterte was, after all, a “leader who doesn’t want his people treated unfairly.”
“Ok lang mga sundalo nila labas-masok sa ating teritoryo while a senator of this republic is barred from entering their territory due to their intentions of tinkering with our domestic affairs,” he said.
The President issued the threat on Thursday, after Dela Rosa confirmed the cancellation.
The US Embassy did not say why the visa had been cancelled, but said he believed it was because of his role in the administration’s drug war when he was national police chief.
The US has repeatedly criticized the drug campaign, which it said was marred with extrajudicial killings.
But Duterte stood by the campaign and slammed the US for what he said was its interference in Philippine affairs.
He has said he would not go to the US to attend a summit in Las Vegas with Southeast Asian leaders even upon US President Donald Trump’s invitation.
“No more bases. They have to start to talk to us because they have to go,” Duterte had said on Thursday, Jan. 23, in response to the cancellation of Dela Rosa’s visa.
