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OFW writes open letter to Filipinos criticizing China: “Ang dami ninyong sinasabi sa mga Chinese na wala nman ginagawang masama sa inyo!”

A netizen writes an open letter to express his disappointment to some netizens who are trying to push away and criticize Chinese nationals visiting the Philippines amid the 2019-nCov scare.

Leo Rogelio, an Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW) based in China couldn’t hide her sadness after he saw many negative comments threw by his countrymen against the Chinese people.

In his post, he asked if the Filipinos are already acting highly to the Chinese who according to Rogelio, are treating him very well while he’s working in China.

The OFW said that the Filipinos should make sure that they’re treating other people better than the Chinese before criticizing China.

He also said that they should also take a look if their standard of living is better than China before releasing negative comments against the Chinese people.

According to him, it’s better for the Filipinos to help and cheer the Chinese people instead of criticizing them.

You can read his post below:

“Isa ako sa mga libo-libong OFW na nag t-trabaho sa China. Isang maunland na bansa na inyong nilalait at hinahamak na akala nyo ay mas magaling kayo sa mga intsik. Na akala nyo mas nakaka-angat kayo sa nga intsik. Huwag po ganun. Dahil ang totoo wala tayong panama sa kanila. Maganda makitungo ang nga intsik sa aming mga OFW, hindi tulad sa Middle East na may mga kaso ng kaharasan. Dito sa China ay mataas ang respeto sa mga Pilipino. Pamilya ang turing sa amin at handa silang tumulong sa amin kahit dis oras na ng gabi. Kaya hindi matanggap ng sikmura ko ang mga masasamang salita nyo sa kanila na kayo na hindi manlang nakaranas manirahan doon. Kayo na mga walang ka alam-alam ay sya pa itong wagas makapang lait at makapang husga sa mga Intsik.”

“Bago kayo magmagaling, at bago nyo sabihin na mas nakaka-angat kayo sa mga intisk ay siguradohin nyo muna na sumasahod ang mga KASAMBAHAY nyo ng 70,000 – 120,000 pesos a month dahil ganun magpasahod ang mga intsik na hinahamak nyo sa nga DH nating kababayan doon. Isama mo na jan ang bedroom ng DH nating kababayan na mala pang prinsesa sa ganda.”

“Bago kayo mang-alipusta sa mga intsik, siguradohin nyo muna sumasahod ang mga guro nyo dito sa Pinas ng 75,000 – 300,000 pesos a month dahil ganun magpasahod ang mga itsik na nilalait ninyo sa ating mga kababayang teachers doon. Mas higit pa jan kumita ang nga engineers.”

“Bago kayo magyabang, siguradohin nyo muna kaya nyong kumain ng lugaw sa tabi-tabi habang naka park ang Lamborghini o Ferrari mo sa tabi-tabi din. Opo, ganun sila ka walang arte sa katawan. Mayayaman pero mga simple!”

“Bago kayo manghamak, siguradohin nyong kaya ng gobyerno natin na gumawa ng tunnel sa ilalim ng bundok upang tuwid ang paggawa ng daan at hindi na kailangan kalbohin ang kabundukan dahil ganun ka efficient ang China na nilalait nyo may concern sa kapaligiran!”

“Bago kayo magmarunong, siguradohin nyong itinuturo ang engineering math sa highschool pa lang dahil yan ang turo sa China na hinahamak nyo! Mula primary, middle school, jr. at sr. high ay advance ang academic subjects nila lalo na ang math at science. Eh kayo?”

“Siguradohin nyo na kaya ng mga anak ninyong 3 years old na magsuot ng sarili nyang sapatos, pantalon, damit at kumain ng sa sarili. Dahil ganyan ang trainjng ng nga batang Chinese na nilalait ninyo. At 4 , ball dribbling ang training sa kindergarten schools at shoe lacing, at 5-6 jumping rope at lahat ng basic life learning skills alam na nila!”

“Bago kayo mag yuck-yuck jan, siguradohin ninyong may mga malilinis na public toilets sa bawat baranggay o community sa inyong lugar dahil ganyan dito sa China at routine na sa kanila ang mag hugas ng kamay pagkatapos umihi! Ganun din ba kayo? May malinis na toilet ba sa baranggay ninyo na may water supply at naka tiles pa?”

“Bago nyo i down ang China, siguradohin nyong kaya nyong gumawa ng building ng ilang araw lang, i renovate ang empty buildings in 2 days at i sanitize ang buong city in 1 day! Kaya nyo? Relief good nga lang ninanakaw pa!”

‘Ang dami ninyong sinasabi sa China at mga Chinese na wala nman ginagawang masama ang mga ito sa inyo. Katangahan at kabobohan yang ipinapakita ninyo. Dahil sa China gumagaan ang pamumuhay ninyo! 90% ng mga gamit nyo at sa bahay ninyo ay gawa sa China. Hindi nyo lang alam yan dahil nga wala kayong alam. Hindi nyo alam na halos lahat ng company sa mundo ay may factory sa China! Galit ka sa China? Kung ang phone na gamit mo ay iphone, Samsung, oppo, lenovo, huawei, Mi, HTC, vivo at Sony ay itapon mo dahil made in China yan sigurado ako!”

“Payo ko lang, walang may gusto sa sakit na n-cov. Hindi nakakatulong ang mga paninira ninyo. Tama na. Sa panahon ngayon mas lalo natin kailangan ang isa’t-isa. WE ARE ASIAN AND WE SHOULD WORK AS ONE!”

Chinese people received criticisms from the netizens because nCov originated to their country.

The criticisms heightened after the Department of Health (DOH) confirmed the first case of nCov in the Philippines.

Several stories from social media users claimed that several Chinese living in the Philippines are very affected by the bad treatment they received from some Filipinos who are afraid to have nCov.

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“Ayoko sanang pumatol!” A medical doctor finally speaks against netizens acting like experts on coronavirus issue

A medical doctor made a lengthy post on Facebook to express her criticisms against the netizens who are trying to act like they know what’s really happening in the country amid the 2019 novel coronavirus scare.

Dra. Lotis Casiple-De Guzman, Medical Officer III of Bureau of Quarantine couldn’t hide her disappointment anymore after reading many comments from some netizens criticizing the health officials and accused them of not working well to prevent the nCov from entering the country.

She answered several complaints from the netizens by writing a lengthy explanation to them so they could understand that the Department of Health (DOH) is doing their best to prevent the virus from spreading in the country.

The doctor also denied that the government is doing a cover-up to calm the public.

You can read her post below:

“I have been trying to hold my peace for quite sometime regarding the issue on nCov. Ayoko sanang pumatol sa mga maraming nagfe-feeling all-knowing, overnight experts, giving their left and right baseless opinions. Mga sobrang triggered, that others even blatantly wish death for our dear health secretary and his family. Meron ding mga walang bukang bibig kundi “wala kayong ginagawa!”. Patola ako ngayon. Isa-isahin natin.”

“Una: “Hindi tayo handa. Walang ginagawa ang DOH. Heightened alert daw sa airport eh wala namang talagang ginagawa at kulang sa gamit. Thermal scanner lang. Paano pag walang lagnat, eh di nakapasok na ang mga intsik at magkakalat na virus! Walang guidelines!”

“Kung marunong ka lang makinig ng totoo mula ng pumutok ang balita sana naintindihan mo na ang DOH ay umaksyon agad. Inalerto ang lahat ng points of entry. Quarantine people manning our ports and airports did not think twice or even consider their safety and carry on w/ the orders given to ensure that all passengers coming in are symptom free. Wala po kayo dun. Wala kayo sa frontline. Hindi nyo nakikita na 24 oras ang pagbabantay na ginagawa. Iniisa-isa ang pasahero. Pag may sintomas, ini-examine. May guidelines po (opo meron!) na sinusunod kung sino ang dapat ipadala sa hospital at hindi. Pinaliwanag na rin yan. May lagnat, ubo, sipon, at galing sa mga lugar sa china na may outbreak ay classified as person under investigation (PUI) at siguradong ilalagay under quarantine. Napanood mo sa TV yan hindi ka lang nakinig! Kung walang sintomas at hindi pasok sa criteria wala tayong karapatang pigilan ang sinoman makapasok sa bansa. Intsik man sya. Wala pa po tayong travel ban for china same with other countries . (Yes, hindi lang tayo!)
Hindi tayo handa? Eh sino ba ang ready sa pagdating nito? Kaya nga even other countries like US are still trying to cope up with it.”

“Paano kung nakapasa sa examination? Papapasukin ng bansa ng ganun-ganun lang?” Friend, hindi mo alam ang effort with a capital E bago sila pakawalan. Pipilitin na ipaliwanag ng mabuti… kahit na madalas lost in translation (dito ako nagpapasalamat sa english to chinese Google translate!) na kailangan pumunta sa pinakamalapit na hospital pag nagka-sintomas. Dito pumapasok ang di matatawarang serbisyo ng mga kapatid natin sa mga hospital institutions.”

“Pangalawa: “Sige pagtakpan nyo pa! Marami ng positive sa nCov ayaw nyo lang sabihin!”

“Hala! Tigil-tigilan nyo na kasi ang pag-iisip ng ka-etchosan na conspiracy theory. Masyado na atang na-apektuhan ang karamihan ng mga telenovela na pinapanood kaya akala lagi may cover-up. Again, from the beginning the DOH posted news bulletins regarding nCov and regularly holds press briefing about PUI cases and their status. The department has been transparent….Ayaw mo lang talaga maniwala! Mas pinaniniwalaan mo pa ang mga fake news. Zero (0) confirmed case in the Philippines. Ayaw mong maniwala! Gusto mo meron?! Mag-isip ka naman. Bakit kailangan pagtakpan kung meron? Anong special sa atin para pagtakpan even ng WHO? Tuwing magsasalita si Sec. Duque, kasama nya si Dr. Rabindra Abeyasinghe, Officer-in-Charge and Acting WHO Representative just to assure everyone that we are coordinating with them and following the organization’s protocol.
O ayan meron na positive case! Masaya ka na?”

“Hala eto pa, after hearing the announcement: “Sinasabi ko na nga ba may pinagtatakpan kaya ngayon lang sinabi na may positive na!” Pssst… hindi mo ba narinig kakarating lang ng result from Australia. Mainit init pa.”

“Pangatlo: “Ano ba yan, wala tayong pang test ng nCov! Kailangan pang isend abroad?! Eh blood sample lang naman ang itetest!”

“Galing. Tsk tsk… Friend, basa din pag may time. Ang ibig sabihin ng nCov ay NOVEL Corona Virus. Novel virus sabi ni Wikipedia (dahil mahilig naman kayong mag refer kay Google) “Is a virus NOT SEEN BEFORE. It can be a virus that is isolated from its reservoir or isolated as the result of spread to an animal or human host where the virus had not been identified before.” Yan ang dahilan kaya po wala pang available na specific test dito sa atin. Ganyan din po ng nagsimula ang SARS, MersCov na ngayon ay meron na tayo. Yan ang dahilan kaya need natin isend sa reference laboratory abroad. Hindi rin po tayo ang tanging bansa na ganito ang sitwasyon. Hinihintay lang po nating dumating yung mga kailangang reagents at primers for nCov para hindi na natin ipagawa ang test sa iba.
“The RITM has the skills and capacity to do testing but we must acquire the reagents and the primer of this novel coronavirus,” according to Sec. Duque. Totoo po yan kasi Biological Safety Laboratory Level 3 (BSL3) Facility po ito. Hindi mo maintindihan? I-google mo na lang para naman makapagbasa ka ng tama. Narinig mo ba yan kahapon sa Congress inquiry? Hindi. Kasi mas na-appreciate mo ang sinabi ni Senadora na gusto nya i-ban ang mga chinese because she values the health of the Filipino people.
Hay. At nga pala ang test po para sa nCov ay hindi simpleng blood test lang. kung nakinig ka sa sinabi sa congress kahapon nalaman mo sana na SIPON ang kinokolekta (nasopharyngeal and oropharyngeal swab).”

“Pang-apat: Bakit handwashing?
Eh nasa hangin ang mikrobyo? Hay. Ayan ka na naman. Ang mode of transmission po ay respiratory droplets. Di hamak na malaki at mabigat kumpara sa mikrobyo na airborne kaya malamang na maiwan sa mga bagay at puedeng mahawakan mo ito pag may bumahing o umubo. At dahil mabigat sya hindi kayang tangayin ng hangin, kataas-taasan ay isang metro ang puedeng landingan.”

“How can we protect ourselves? It all boils down to basic hand washing, cleanliness, keeping ourselves healthy and proper protection.
Opinyon ko lang ang mga ito. Sana kesa maging negatibo tayo dapat maging mapanuri, appreciative at matalino.”

“Kudos to all healthcare workers. We are on the frontline of this battle and we are doing our job the best we can.”

Netizens expressed their concern on the possible nCov outbreak in the country and they even urged the government from banning the Chinese from entering the country, believing that they’re possibly carrying the virus.

nCov originated in Wuhan, China, as of writing, there are already 14,000 cases reported in the said country.

Despite experiencing racism, Chinese men distribute face mask for Filipinos in Manila to prevent nCov from spreading

Despite experiencing racism being treated as a carrier of novel coronavirus in the Philippines, several Chinese men decided to help the Filipinos by distributing free face masks for them.

On a Facebook post, netizen Cindy Arcangeles shared photos of Chinese men distributing the said items to the Filipinos and even put a sign to get the attention of the people.

According to Arcangeles, the actions of the Chinese men showed that despite facing criticisms in the Philippines, they’re still willing to help the Filipinos.

“Tumutulong parin sila in their own ways. Let’s all have unity, wag po tayong maging mapride,” Arcangeles said.

“Not all chinese are the same. Pls spread the good news!!” she added.

According to her, the Chinese men distributed the face masks in front of Lido De Paris Hotel Ongpin St, Santa Cruz, Manila City.

The post gained thousands of positive reactions and shares from the netizens, but some Filipinos are still not impressed by the actions of the Chinese.

Netizen Mark Endaya expressed distrust to the Chinese people despite seeing Arcangeles’ post.

“Karma sa kanila yan kaya bumabawi,” Endaya said.

Another netizen, Den Canapia even said that the said Chinese men are possibly trying to infect the Filipinos by distributing face masks.

“This act can get easily apreciated but for some reason iba naiisip ko. Hindi kaya gamit na mga yan at gusto nilang mahawa lahat ng mga pilipino? Hindi sa nilalahat ko ang mga chinese pero known na sila sa pagiging maloko. Nagmamanufacture ng plastic na bigas at mga laruan na gawa sa lead na masama sa kalusugan ng tao. Hindi malayong chemical warfare nila yan para tuluyan na nilang makuha buong pilipinas. Sana mali ako pero di ko maiwasang pag isipan sila ng masama dahil known na sa pagkatao nila ang pagiging maloko at walang pakialam makasira ng kalusugan ng iba para lng kumita,” netizen Den Canapia commented.

Yesterday, netizen Precious Ann Patiño also reported that two Chinese men also gave a free face mask in Makati City.

“Free mask from these two Chinese Men
Di ko masyado nabasa yung naka flash dun sa cp ng naka black na chinese pero parang mag nakalagay ata dun na “hug” then yung naka white sya may hawak ng mask sya taga abot,” Patiño said.

“Sa mga madadaan dyan ng PBCOm Makati. Tanggapin nyo na lang po yung offer nila na mask sa ganyang paraan na lang sila makakabawi sa mga sama ng loob sa kanila at para makatulong na din sila. Keep praying guys. Marami ng nangyayare ngayon para sabayan pa natin ng galit tulungan na lang,” she added.

People from mainland China received a tremendous amount of criticisms from the Filipino social media users which already came to the point that they’re already traumatized because of the treatment they received.

 

Chinese men distribute face mask in Makati amid N-Cov scare

Two Chinese were spotted distributing face masks in Makati amid the criticisms being received by their country men from Filipino netizens on social media.

Netizen Precious Ann Patiño saw the two Chinese distributing the masks to the passerby and was touched by what she witnessed.

She urged the people to accept the masks from the two Chinese who seems wanted to apologize for the novel coronavirus scare in the Philippines.

“Free mask from these two Chinese Men
Di ko masyado nabasa yung naka flash dun sa cp ng naka black na chinese pero parang mag nakalagay ata dun na “hug” then yung naka white sya may hawak ng mask sya taga abot,” Patiño said.

“Sa mga madadaan dyan ng PBCOm Makati. Tanggapin nyo na lang po yung offer nila na mask sa ganyang paraan na lang sila makakabawi sa mga sama ng loob sa kanila at para makatulong na din sila. Keep praying guys. Marami ng nangyayare ngayon para sabayan pa natin ng galit tulungan na lang,” she added.

The post already reached thousands of positive reactions on social media.

It also reached 33,000 shares.

Chinese nationals are being criticized by Filipinos and accused them of spreading the N-Cov which originated in Wuhan, China.

Some netizens even shared how Chinese people in the Philippines are being treated badly by the Filipinos because of the suspicions that they may carrying a virus.

As of writing, the Department of Health (DOH) said that there’s already one confirmed case of n-Cov in the Philippines while 31 patients are still being monitored.

Pangilinan suggests that Chinese tourist should go straight to Malacanang

Senator and Liberal Party President Francis ‘Kiko’ Pangilinan suggested that the people from Mainland China who were allowed to visit the Philippines should head straight to Malacanang Palace instead of letting them travel in the different parts of the country.

Pangilinan made the said statements amid the first confirmed case of a novel coronavirus in the Philippines.

The opposition senator is one of the politicians who urged the government to disallow all people from Mainland China to visit the Philippines.

“Kung sa tingin ng gobyerno na ligtas ang ating mga kababayan at hindi kailangan ng travel ban sa mga galing ng China dapat mula airport derecho silang lahat sa Malakanyan,” said Pangilinan.

Pangilinan, like other Filipinos, wanted the Chinese to be temporarily banned from visiting the country as they being seen as the source of the coronavirus.

He also suggested several things like spreading information to the people about the said virus and setting up “hotlines” for people who wanted to seek help from the government.

“Unahin ang kapakanan at kaligtasan ng mamamayang Pilipino. Magsagawa na ng massive information drive kung paano ito maiiwasan at paano magpapagaling ang nahawahan. Mag setup ng mga hotline at emergency unit na magsasagawa ng mga quarantine at iba pang mga aksyon para maiwasan ang pagkalat ng sakit,” he said.

According to him, the virus which originated from Wuhan, China is serious and the government should do their best to prevent it from spreading around the Philippines.

“Kailangan nating pangalagaan ang mga kapwa Pilipino. Hindi biro ang sakit na ito. At hindi rin biro ang magkasakit sa Pilipinas,” Pangilinan said.

After the Department of Health (DOH) confirmed the first case of coronavirus, President Rodrigo Duterte followed the suggestion of Senator Christopher “Bong” Go and ordered to disallow any tourist from some provinces in China to visit the Philippines.

 

Singer Bituin Escalante thumbs down to Duterte’s legacy: Binalik niya ang Polio sa bansa

Filipina Singer Butuin Escalante made a series of tweets against President Rodrigo Duterte.

Escalante showed that she’s unimpressed by the President’s past achievements amid the government’s ‘Duterte Legacy’ communication program architected by the Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO).

On a tweet, Escalante claimed that Duterte’s legacy in health is only the comeback of Polio in the Philippines after 19 years.

“Ang legacy ni Duterte sa Health? Ang pagbalik ng polio sa bansa,” said Escalante.

Escalante also reacted to the other issues being faced by President Rodrigo Duterte including his plan to cancel the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) after the U.S canceled Senator Ronald Dela Rosa’s visa.

According to Escalante, the warning of President Duterte, giving one month to the US to fix the issue is just a “tantrum” of the chief executive.

“Tumatanda ng paurong,” Escalante said.

Escalante received criticisms from the netizens and tried to convince her the no one should be blamed for the comeback of Polio.

“Believe me, one day, you will need health coverage. You’re getting old after all,” @morsiko777 told Escalante.

“Duterte is not to blame for it. Ang kadugyutan ng ilang Pilipino ang sanhi ng polio at ang takot sa pagbabakuna ng mga anak nang dahil sa dengvaxia ni Noynoy. OPEN YOUR EYES BITUIN ESCALANTE,” @ocreole047 commented.

“Ang polio ay hindi gawa ng tao lalong lalo na si pangulong duterte lahat ng pangyayari sa bansa kay pangulong duterte isinisisi. Mga buraot kayo mag isip muna kayo bago mag akusa,” Colossal Blunder remarked.

Escalante then reacted to some of the comments she received from the netizens, saying that her critics “all have the same script”.

“I didn’t realize my post would get engagement. Tried reading everything. They all have the same script, same ad hominem engagement.” Escalante said.

“Zero engagement nga ako e. Pointless naman kasi. I just mute instead of block cause when they screencap that they’ve been blocked, that gets engagement,” she added.

Duterte legacy highlights administration efforts to affordable healthcare, free college tuition, and others.

Netizen explains why Duterte plans to cancel VFA: Ito’y mensahe na hindi tayo alipin ng ibang bansa!

A netizen explained why President Duterte made another move against the U.S after the said country decided to cancel Senator Ronald Dela Rosa’s visa without any explanation.

On a Facebook post, netizen Noel Landero Sarifa said that he believes that the plan of President Rodrigo Duterte to terminate the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) between the Philippines and the United States of America is because the chief executive wanted to show the world that no other countries could control the Filipino government.

According to him, the American government tried to interfere with the Philippine Government several times and as an example to this, he mentioned Senator De Lima’s case.

“Pinakita ulit ni President Duterte na hindi sya papayag na mangialam ang Amerika sa internal affairs ng bansa. Do we need the Americans or the Americans needs us Why is it that Amerika is so eager for De Lima’s release?” said Sarifa.

“Will the United States proved her innocence? Or, are there cans of worms waiting to be opened and this is just there preventive measure. We can only speculate. But then, why would the US of A spend so much effort for De Lima? She is not an American citizen. What is more important for Americans? Our relationship with them or De Lima?” he added.

Sarifa then said that the recent action of the President is a message to everyone not to interfere with the Philippine internal affairs.

“President Duterte’s strong stand against this issue is sending a strong message to the world, we are nobody’s slave and will never make this country bow to anyone, not even the United States of America,” he said.

Duterte gave one month to the US to fix the visa issue of Dela Rosa or else he’s going to cancel the visiting forces agreement between the Philippines and America.

“I warning you this is the first time, pag hindi ninyo ginawa ang correction diyan, one, I will terminate the bases visiting forces agreement. Tapusin ko yang p*tang i*na. I am giving notice and they begin to count. I am giving government and the American government one month from now,” said Duterte.

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Jim Paredes asks if the President is ‘insane’ already after planning to junk VFA

OPM artist Jim Paredes couldn’t hide his disappointment to President Rodrigo Duterte after the latter warned the U.S of the possible cancellation of the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) if they’re not going to correct the visa issue of his ally, Senator Ronald Dela Rosa.

On a tweet, Paredes asked his followers how a sane leader would consider terminating VFA just because his ally lost his access to the U.S.

“What sane leader would risk the stability and standing of his country because Bato’s US Visa was taken away?” said Paredes.

He even made a survey to ask his followers what they think of the mental capabilities of the chief executive now and most of them answered that the President is ‘insane’ already.

In the 861 votes, 90% of his followers answered that the President is ‘insane’ while only 9% said that Duterte is still in normal condition.

Paredes also pointed out the benefits being gained by the Armed Forces of the Philippines to the VFA where the Filipino and American soldiers are doing training together.

“Most of our military junior officers were trained by the US. Our weapons too. Our strategic alliance wd the US is part of our national defense. To just suddenly end it cuz of one man’s visa problem is not well thought out and frankly, dangerously stupd,” said Paredes.

Yesterday Duterte made the surprising statement against the U.S and only gave them one month to fix the visa of Dela Rosa.

“I warning you this is the first time, pag hindi ninyo ginawa ang correction diyan, one, I will terminate the bases visiting forces agreement. Tapusin ko yang p*tang i*na. I am giving notice and they begin to count. I am giving government and the American government one month from now,” said Duterte.

VFA is an agreement signed between the Philippines and the U.S in 1998.

Under the agreement, the American troops are not required to have a passport and visa when entering and leaving the Philippines.

Lacson says Duterte’s plan to junk VFA is “unfortunate and unnecessary”

Senator Panfilo Lacson expressed concern on the recent plans of President Rodrigo Duterte to cancel the Visiting Forces Agreement if ever that the United States of America is not going to “correct” the visa of Senator Ronald Dela Rosa.

According to Lacson, he sees no connection why Duterte was ready to cancel the VFA for the sake of Dela Rosa’s visa.

“A US visa is a conditional authorization granted to a foreigner. It may be canceled without explanation or justification. The VFA is a bilateral agreement between the Ph and the US that went through some careful and diplomatic discussion. Pray tell, where is the connection?” said Lacson on his Twitter post.

In another interview, Lacson said that the move of the President is “unfortunate and unnecessary”.

Meanwhile, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr, a friend of Lacson described the President’s action as a “good move”.

“Good move. Visas fall under US Justice Department in the Executive Branch. Either they’re serious about US-PH military alliance or not. They can have de Lima after her trial. In fact, they can pass a law making her a US citizen and part of the US military so she is covered by VFA,” Locsin said.

Lacson then responded to Locsin’s tweet “You’re obviously joking, as I am now obviously stating the obvious,”

Yesterday, President Rodrigo Duterte gave one month to the US to correct the visa issue of Senator Dela Rosa who’s a close ally of the chief executive.

“I warning you this is the first time, pag hindi ninyo ginawa ang correction diyan, one, I will terminate the bases visiting forces agreement. Tapusin ko yang p*tang i*na. I am giving notice and they begin to count. I am giving government and the American government one month from now,” said Duterte.

VFA is an agreement signed between the Philippines and the U.S in 1998.

Renato Reyes criticizes Duterte’s reason to junk Visiting Forces Agreement between PH and US

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.

“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.

“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.

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.