(Eagle News)–It still remains to be seen if President Rodrigo Duterte will stick to the termination of the Visiting Forces Agreement, Communist Party of the Philippines founder Jose Maria Sison said.
In a statement, Sison said it would also be “laudable” if Duterte scraps all other military agreements with the United States.
Sison said it was, however, “difficult or impossible to believe” that Duterte would do this.
For Duterte to scrap the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement, Mutual Defense Treaty and the Mutual Logistics Support Agreement, Duterte “would need to invoke national sovereignty and at the same time complement this with highly patriotic and progressive social, economic and political reforms to get solid support from the people as in Cuba, Vietnam and Venezuela.”
“With the said reforms, he can make a lasting peace with the revolutionary movement,” Sison said.
Sison issued the statement after the Philippine government officially terminated the Visiting Forces Agreement, which governs the conduct of American soldiers as they hold military exercises with Philippine soldiers.
Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said military exercises between Philippine and US military troops will continue under the VFA until the 180 days the agreement is in effect from notice of termination are up.
President Duterte has repeatedly asked Sison to come home from exile to talk peace, but the CPP founder has declined the offer.
