GOVERNOR Eugenio Jose Lacson said Thursday, February 13, that Filipinos should trust the government on its decision to terminate the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA).
“Our leaders assure us that we can survive without the VFA so we should trust them,” Lacson said.
He pointed out that the decision to terminate the VFA has been made although there is still 180 days left before the agreement expires and Lacson said negotiations could be made between the government of the Philippines and the United States of America.
The American government for its initial reaction through United States Secretary of Defense Mark Esper said that the looming termination of the VFA with the Philippines would be a move in the wrong direction.
President Rodrigo Duterte’s decision to terminate the VFA is in reaction to the cancellation of the US visa of Senator Ronald Dela Rosa who is an ally of the president which came after two US senators demanded for the release of former Senator Leila de Lima from imprisonment. (TDE)