‘End that son of a b*tch’: Duterte confirms US-Philippines military collaboration agreement is toast
Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte is “terminating” the Visiting Forces Agreement, which provides legal immunity to US military drills, in retaliation for the US canceling the visa of a political ally and fellow drug-warrior.
“The president said he is terminating the VFA,” Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana told ABS-CBN News on Friday. “I asked for clarification and he said he is not changing his decision.” The agreement provides legal immunity for US soldiers conducting military exercises in the Philippines.
Enraged by the US decision to cancel the visa of former police chief and Senator Roland dela Rosa last month, Duterte had given Washington a month to fix its ‘mistake,’ refusing to back down even as other members of his government urged him to reconsider.
“I’m warning you… if you won’t do the correction on this, I will terminate the… Visiting Forces Agreement,” Duterte said last month, daring the US to call his bluff.
I’ll end that son of a b*tch.
Washington had reportedly canceled dela Rosa’s visa over his record of extrajudicial killings while serving as Duterte's first police chief. In that role, he was responsible for carrying out the president's heavy-handed anti-drug campaign – much closer to a literal “war on drugs” than the US policy by that name – which has left thousands dead and sparked international outcry.
Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin attempted to argue against cutting off the VFA on Thursday, insisting that the $550 million-plus in security aid received from the US since 2016 – along with intelligence, training, and the ability to deter Chinese “aggression” – outweighed any reasons the president might have to scrap the agreement. A “chilling effect on our economic relations” could result if the Philippines starts backing out of its alliance with the US, Locsin suggested.
https://www.rt.com/news/480372-duterte-us-military-terminated/