Santiago renews call to junk VFA

Presidential aspirant Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago renewed her call to abrogate the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) of the Philippines with the United States days after the Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (Edca).

On Sunday, Santiago called for her colleagues in the Senate to ask for a renegotiation or abrogation of the VFA.

“Philippine sovereignty, as well as the rights and dignity of its citizens, suffered immensely during the 17 years of operation of the VFA. Let us assert our sovereignty and call for the total abrogation of this agreement,” Santiago said in a statement.

The senator, who is also the chair of the Senate foreign relations committee, lamented that the VFA makes the Philippines dependent on US, putting military modernization in the back burner.

“It may be argued that because of the VFA, the Armed Forces of the Philippines has not felt the need to modernize sufficiently,” Santiago added.

Meanwhile, Santiago revealed why Edca and VFA should be declared invalid: “The Edca is invalid for two reasons: The executive claims that it is not a treaty but merely an executive agreement, and it was not submitted to the Senate for concurrence. The flaw of the VFA, meanwhile, lies in the fact that it is not considered a treaty by the U.S.”

The senator said that the SC’s decision to uphold the constitutionality of Edca is an “open defiance of the Constitution” as it allowed the president to enter into executive agreements through its broad powers in foreign relations and in effect, diminishing the “treaty-making power of the Senate.”

Last November, the Senate adopted Senate Resolution No. 105 authored by Santiago which states that without Senate concurrence, any treaty or international agreement, including the Edca, is invalid. JE