Defense Department no in Favor to scrap Visiting Forces Agreement

Philippines Defense Department express it part not in favor to scrap VFA (Visiting Forces Agreement), believing that such a move could affect Philippine efforts to achieve credible defense posture.

Remember that VFA is one of the components for our overall strategy of defense and abrogation and scrapping it will have adverse effect on our aim for a minimum credible defense posture that we have been working hard in order to achieve such goal.

The process is now in progress and with that, we should not hurriedly throw those effort in trash before it is proven worth.

Recently Sen. Santiago and the Representative of Akbayan pary-list Walden Bello filed joint resolution seeking to abrogate VFA, in which it allows American troops to conduct trainings in Philippines.

Santiago said that the agreement was ratified by Philippine Senate in the year 1999, being used to shield US servicemen who committed criminal acts from the Philippine laws.

Bello also believes that the agreement “allows US military to act in willful disregard for the Philippine sovereignty” and “violates human rights and the dignity of Filipino people."