MANILA: The Philippines told the US on Tuesday it was quitting a pact keyto their historical military alliance, triggering a six-month countdown tothe deal’s termination, Manila said.
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte made the move after voicing anger overAmerican authorities cancelling the visa of the official who led hisinternationally condemned drug war.
This comes after Duterte has, since taking power in mid-2016, repeatedlymade unrealised threats to shrink or even sever his nation’s ties with itsformer colonial master and most important military ally.
The 1998 Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) is the legal framework for thepresence of US troops on Philippine soil and is central to the two nations´hundreds of annual, joint military exercises, which are a major componentof their deep military ties.
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The pact requires a 180-day notice to quit, which will likely set off aperiod of negotiation between the two countries.
“The Deputy Chief of Mission of the Embassy of the United States hasreceived the notice of termination of the Visiting Forces Agreement,”Philippine foreign affairs secretary Teodoro Locsin wrote on Twitter. – APP/ AFP
