Yesterday, Saturday, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte informed the government of the United States that he would maintain his position towards canceling the visiting forces agreement, if Washington did not provide his country with vaccines against Corona.
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Duterte called, during a meeting with cabinet members and infectious disease experts, “more than 20 million doses of anti-corona virus vaccines from the United States”, in exchange for stopping work to “end the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA).”
The Philippine president said: “The visiting forces agreement will end, and if they are unable to provide at least 20 million doses of vaccines, it is better for them to go out.”
“No vaccine, don’t stay here,” he added.
President Duterte ordered the termination of the VFA last February, in response to the revocation of the US visa for Senator Ronald Dela Rosa, the former police chief who led President Duterte’s brutal war on drugs.
Whereas, last June, the Philippines backed away from the deadline for ending the agreement, which was supposed to enter into force in August, due to “political and other developments in the region,” as the suspension “should last for 6 months,” and the Philippine government also suspended the effectiveness of ending The VFA, while negotiations continue for a long-term arrangement, according to Globalnation Inquirer.
It is worth noting that the “VFA” agreement, signed in 1998, granted legal status to the American forces that were rotating in the country to conduct military exercises and humanitarian aid operations.
Source: “Globalnation Inquirer”
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