Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (BAYAN) Secretary-General Renato Reyes criticized President Rodrigo Duterte for his plan to junk the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) because of the cancellation of Senator Ronald Dela Rosa’s US visa.
On his Twitter post, Reyes said that the government should junk VFA a long time ago, explaining that the said agreement is against the sovereignty of the Philippines and because of many other reasons.
However, Reyes who’s also a critic of VFA expressed disappointment after knowing that the reason why Duterte wanted to terminate the agreement is that his political ally, Dela Rosa’s visa got canceled by US government.
According to Reyes, the termination of VFA is not a “bargaining chip” to fix the US Visa of Senator Dela Rosa.
“MATAGAL nang dapat ibinasura ang VFA dahil labag ito sa soberanya natin. MATAGAL na rin itong nilalabanan ng Bayan, mula pa 1999. Pero bakit ngayon lang ito ibabasura ni Digong, dahil sa kanseladong US Visa ni Bato? Magtataka ka kung seryoso ba talaga siya o postura lang,” said Reyes.
MATAGAL nang dapat ibinasura ang VFA dahil labag ito sa soberanya natin. MATAGAL na rin itong nilalabanan ng Bayan, mula pa 1999. Pero bakit ngayon lang ito ibabasura ni Digong, dahil sa kanseladong US Visa ni Bato? Magtataka ka kung seryoso ba talaga siya o postura lang.
— Renato Reyes, Jr. (@natoreyes) January 23, 2020
“The VFA is an affront to our sovereignty. It allows an unlimited number of US troops to stay in the PH for an unlimited time, doing unspecified activities. It was ratified as a treaty in the PH but not under US laws. Matagal na dapat itong ibinasura, may visa man o wala si Bato,” he added.
The VFA is an affront to our sovereignty. It allows an unlimited number of US troops to stay in the PH for an unlimited time, doing unspecified activities. It was ratified as a treaty in the PH but not under US laws. Matagal na dapat itong ibinasura, may visa man o wala si Bato.
— Renato Reyes, Jr. (@natoreyes) January 23, 2020
“Kung ibinalik ng US ang visa ni Bato, at pumayag si Digong, valid at makatarungan pa rin ba ang VFA? Kung hindi ibinasura ni Digong ang VFA dahil ibinalik na ang visa ni Bato, valid na uli ang VFA?,” he also said.
Tanong sa mga DDS: Kung ibinalik ng US ang visa ni Bato, at pumayag si Digong, valid at makatarungan pa rin ba ang VFA?
Kung hindi ibinasura ni Digong ang VFA dahil ibinalik na ang visa ni Bato, valid na uli ang VFA?— Renato Reyes, Jr. (@natoreyes) January 23, 2020
Reyes is a long-time critic of VFA and even mentioned the case of Jennifer Laude as an example of why the agreement should be canceled.