Senate foreign relations panel starts hearings on VFA

Other military pacts between Philippines and United States to be probed

The Senate foreign relations panel kicked off its hearings on the VFA and two other military agreements between the Philippines and the US./Meanne Corvera/Eagle News/

(Eagle News)–The Senate foreign relations committee on Thursday, Feb. 6, kicked off its hearings on the Visiting Forces Agreement and two other military pacts between the Philippines and the United States.

The hearings also on the Mutual Defense Treaty and the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement and to be presided over by panel chair Senator Koko Pimentel are scheduled to take place after President Rodrigo Duterte threatened to scrap the VFA.

The MDT is activated should there be an armed attack in the Pacific, while the EDCA supplements the VFA, which governs the conduct of American soldiers in the country.

In issuing the threat, the President said the US, which had cancelled Senator Ronald dela Rosa’s US visa, should “rectify” its move.

Dela Rosa said he believes his visa was cancelled because of his role in the drug war, which the US has repeatedly criticized.

According to Dela Rosa, Duterte’s threat was because of one-sided foreign relations.

The Department of Justice has also been ordered to study the plan to abrogate the VFA and to determine the impact of such an abrogation, should it push through.

On Thursday’s hearing, defense officials  led by Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, were present.

Foreign Affairs Teodoro Locsin Jr. also attended the hearing.