(Eagle News) — President Rodrigo Duterte will “not entertain” any United States initiative to save the Visiting Forces Agreement.
Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo added President Duterte will not accept “any official invitation to visit the United States.”
Panelo said the President’s decision, after all, was a “consequence of a series of legislative and executive actions by the US government that bordered on assaulting our sovereignty and disrespecting our judicial system.”
“In addition, the President believes that our country cannot forever rely on other countries for the defense of the state and should instead strengthen our own resources for our defenses,” he added.
On Tuesday, Feb. 11, Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. signed the notice of termination of the VFA, which governs the conduct of American soldiers undertaking military exercises with Philippine troops in the country.
Duterte had threatened to scrap the VFA after Senator Ronald dela Rosa revealed his US visa had been cancelled.
He said he believed this was because of his role as former national police chief in the drug war, which the US has repeatedly criticized.
He said Duterte’s threat to scrap the VFA was due to one-sided foreign relations.
On Monday, Duterte said his counterpart, US President Donald Trump and others were trying to save the VFA, “pero ayoko.”
