While President Rodrigo Duterte is again ranting against the United States by threatening to abrogate the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) following the cancelation of Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa’s visa, his daughter, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte on the other hand, is currently having her time in Washington, DC attending a leadership training program focused on preventing and countering terrorism.
Mayor Duterte, together with Zamboanga City Mayor Beng Climaco, is the recipient of this year’s International Visitors Leadership Program (IVLP), a one-month premier professional exchange program under the auspices of the US Department of State.
US Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Ambassador Atul Keshap welcomed both Duterte and Climaco in the US capital.
“The #Philippines mayors will meet with US counterparts during a @StateIVLP exchange focused on working with allies to prevent and counter-terrorism,” Ambassador Keshap said in a tweet on Thursday.
Keshap said participants in the IVLP are “nominated and selected” annually by the staff at the US Embassy around the world.
The US Embassy in Manila, however, has yet to respond to a query on Mayor Duterte’s full itinerary in the US.
In a separate social media post on Friday (Thursday in the US), State Department Policy Adviser for Countering Terrorism Recruitment Michael Duffin showed photos of Mayors Duterte and Climaco interacting with Louisville, Kentucky Mayor Greg Fischer during a meeting with US mayors in the capital.
According to the State Department website, it described the IVLP as a program of short term visits to the US for “current and emerging foreign leaders” in a variety of fields.
Talks have been circulating lately that Mayor Duterte is eyeing to run for the presidency in the 2022 elections in lieu of his father whose six-year term will expire on June 30, 2022.
‘GOOD MOVE’
Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. on Friday described as “good move” President Rodrigo Duterte’s threat to scuttle the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) if the United States will not reinstate the canceled US visa of Sen. Ronald dela Rosa.
“Good move. Visas fall under US Justice Department in the Executive Branch. Either they’re serious about US-PH military alliance or not,” Locsin said in a portion of his tweet.
Locsin’s reaction came in the wake of Duterte’s remarks during the distribution of benefits to former New People’s Army (NPA) rebels in Leyte on Thursday where the Chief Executive gave the US one month to reinstate Dela Rosa’s nullified visa or he will cancel the VFA.
In defending the President’s controversial pronouncement against the US, Locsin said, “They (US) can have De Lima after her trial. In fact they can pass a law making her a US citizen and part of US military so she is covered by VFA.”
VFA refers to an agreement ratified by the Philippine Senate in 1999 that allows US troops to be stationed in the country on a temporary basis.
Described by Washington as an “Executive Agreement”, the VFA did not require the approval of the US Senate.
Locsin’s view differed from the position made by Senator Panfilo Lacson who called Duterte’s statement “unfortunate and unnecessary” saying there is no connection between terminating a bilateral agreement over a canceled US visa of Dela Rosa.
“A US visa is a conditional authorization granted to a foreigner. It may be canceled without explanation or justification,” Lacson said in a social media post Thursday night.
