As South China Sea Tensions Rise, Philippines To Keep Military Deal With The US

The decision to end, or abrogate, the 22-year-old Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) with the United Sates, which was made by Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte earlier this year has been suspended. The change of mind by the Philippine strongman was made “in light of the political and other developments in the region."

One development has been the COVID-19 pandemic that was just beginning to spread to other countries when Duterte made his initial move to end the VFA.

Another motivation for Duterte to end the agreement was based on issues involving the cancellation of Senator Ronald "Bato" dela Rosa's tourist visa to the U.S.; and allegations that another Senator, Leila De Lima, a political foe of Duterte, is being falsely imprisoned for her role in a drug-related incident during Duterte’s controversial war on drugs. U.S. senators had made repeated calls for her release, which upset the Philippine leader.

The announcement of the suspension was made Tuesday by Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro "Teddy Boy" Locsin Jr. on social media. His Twitter post read, "I issued this diplomatic note to the U.S. ambassador. It has been received by Washington and well at that. The note is self-explanatory and does not require comment except from me. The abrogation of the Visiting Forces Agreement has been suspended upon the President’s instruction."

The VFA is a 1998 agreement between Manila and Washington on the protocol for American military personnel in the country. The benefits of the VFA to the archipelago are many. The U.S. is a longtime ally and a major trading partner. The U.S. provided more than $550 million in security assistance to the Philippines under the agreement between 2016 and 2019.

Critics of the VFA point to the lax visa and passport policies for American troops and that it allows the U.S. government to retain jurisdiction over military personnel if they commit crimes while in the Philippines.

Terry Ridon, with Infrawatch PH, a Philippine public policy think-tank, calls the President’s decision a “flip-flop” and opines that discontinuing the VFA would be of historical significance comparable to the 1991 Senate vote that shut down U.S. bases in the country, most notably Clark AFB and Subic Bay.

Up until the pandemic, Duterte seemed to be drifting toward Communist China and away from the United States. As tensions continue to grow in the South China Sea, his decision to keep the VFA may be a sign that his diplomatic raft is floating back toward the U.S.