Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario AFP PHOTO
The Philippines is set to take up the controversial 1999 Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) with the United States, according to Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario.
Contacted in Siem Reap, Cambodia, where he is attending an Association of Southeast Asian Nations foreign ministers meeting, Del Rosario on Thursday said “VFA talks (with the US) are a priority for the Department of Foreign Affairs.”
“We will try to have a commission (that will hold consultations with Washington) as early as possible,” the DFA chief told the Philippine Daily Inquirer.
Del Rosario and Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin are co-vice chairs of the Presidential Commission on the VFA (PCVFA), which is headed by Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa Jr. The agency’s members include, among others, Justice Secretary Leila de Lima, Social Welfare Secretary Corazon Soliman and a private sector representative.
Lead agency
At the home office, Raul Hernandez, the DFA spokesperson, revealed the PCVFA “recently came out with a resolution designating the DFA to take the lead in undertaking discussions with the US on issues of mutual concern related to the VFA.”
“The designation of the DFA as the lead agency and related actions to implement the decisions made by the PCVFA are part of the steps leading to the conclusion of the review,” said Hernandez.
The DFA-based PCVFA, created on Jan. 1, 1999, under Executive Order No. 199 to monitor compliance with the provisions of the VFA, began reviewing the pact in late 2010.
PCVFA Executive Director Edilberto Adan earlier told the Inquirer the review aimed to “look at the most contentious issues and ensure the (VFA) provisions continue to make this agreement relevant and serve the national interest.”
Above board
Contrary to the claims of some VFA critics, including militant groups, the treaty had been above board, said Adan.
Sometime in mid-2011, Adan confirmed claims by the Pentagon that between 500 and 600 US troops were based indefinitely in the country.
Most of the American soldiers, belonging to the Joint Special Operations Task Force-Philippines (JSOTF-P), were in Mindanao, but “some are in Manila doing support roles like procurement,” Adan had said.
Then DFA spokesperson J. Eduardo Malaya had noted that the VFA allowed the continued presence of the JSOTF-P in a strictly noncombat role, supposedly to advise, share information and conduct joint civil-military operations with the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).
“They (US forces) are not allowed to engage in combat operations. Their presence is authorized by our government through the RP-US Mutual Defense Board,” said Malaya, now the ambassador to Malaysia.
He said the support of the US forces for the AFP had “degraded the capabilities of the Abu Sayyaf terrorist group.”
The US Embassy in Manila has repeatedly said the VFA has been “working very well.”
The embassy cited the agreement for, among other things, making possible the visits here of American warships.
US Ambassador to the Philippines Harry Thomas Jr. has said they had no objections to a VFA review by the Philippine government. But once Manila “comes to an opinion” on the treaty, they would “need to be consulted,” he said.
Permanent presence
Meanwhile, the left-leaning group Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) claimed “the new US defense strategy will ensure the American troops’ permanent presence in Mindanao.”
Bayan secretary general Renato Reyes Jr. said US President Barack Obama had unveiled the strategy on January 3.
Reyes quoted Obama as saying they “will focus on a broader range of challenges and opportunities, including the security and prosperity of the Asia Pacific.”
“US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said the new strategy aims to sustain US strategic leadership by emphasizing the Asia Pacific and the Middle East. He was referring to the US Joint Force, which he said would be “smaller and leaner, but agile and flexible, ready and
technologically advanced.” One can say that the US forces currently in Mindanao conform to this description,” said the Bayan leader.
Reyes noted there was no attempt by the Aquino administration to question the “presence of an unlimited number of US troops engaging in undefined activities for an unspecified period of time.”
“They’re no longer visitors. They have become permanent fixtures in Mindanao. Their presence is a strong argument to terminate the VFA,” he said.