Despite earlier asserting he wanted the military deal scrapped, President Duterte decided to suspend his earlier decision to terminate the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) due to rising tensions in the South China Sea during the pandemic.
Duterte's first Philippine National Police chief, known as the architect behind the government's bloody anti-drug campaign.Last June 2, the Philippines earlier announced it was pressing pause on its decision to withdraw from the VFA, which would have expired in August, or 180 days after the Philippines first informed the US of it was walking away from the deal.
Still, Locsin refused to say the suspension of the VFA termination could be considered as sign the military pact would remain in place.the notice sent to the United States embassy “took exactly that form because any other form would have required a new agreement.” “My own feeling is if we come up with any arrangement, my own leaning is toward a series of diplomatic notes as needed…. Right now all sides are just caught up in the COVID ,” Locsin said.Locsin likewise denied there was any relation between the recent suspension to the VFA termination and the presence of 3 US aircraft carriers positioned just outside the West Philippine Sea in the South China Sea.
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