Philippines: Scrap Visiting Forces Agreement for national sovereignty

Fight Back News Service Is circulating the following Jan. 26 statement from the Communist Party of the Philippines.

The Communist Party of the Philippines challenges GRP President Rodrigo Duterte to walk his talk and actualize the termination of the 1999 Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA). For decades, the Filipino people have demanded the abrogation of the VFA which has allowed for the trampling of Philippine sovereignty by US military forces, as well as numerous human rights violations including rape and murder.

However, the Filipino people are keenly aware of Duterte’s tirades against the US government while playing up China and Russia with the aim of being prized with economic and military aid. Now, Duterte traitorously dangles Philippine sovereignty as a bargaining chip for more US weapons and military funding to be used in his counterinsurgency and fake drug war. His recent histrionics are aimed at securing these funds currently being held off amid widespread condemnation of his regime’s gross human rights violations.

For many decades, US military forces have dominated the country through unequal pacts as the Mutual Defense Treaty, the VFA, the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) and Operation Pacific Eagle-Philippines. These have allowed the US military to exercise operational control over the Armed Forces of the Philippines and maintain secret facilities and stockpile weapons within military camps which are off-limits even to the top brass of the AFP.

Duterte has for several times now, declared his intention to abrogate the EDCA or the VFA only to recant soon afterward. The Filipino people must vigorously push Rodrigo Duterte to finally scrap the VFA and other unequal military treaties. They must also call for the pullout of all foreign troops from Philippine territory. The Filipino people must express outrage at another Duterte backtrack.