Justice Secretary Menardo I. Guevarra said yesterday that a review, not a termination, of the Visiting Forces Agreement between the Philippines and the United States is one of the options under consideration by the Cabinet Cluster on Security, Justice, and Peace.
Guevarra said cluster members met last Friday and considered various options in dealing with the VFA, “including what some senators are presently considering.”
He was referring to the move of Senate President Vicente Sotto III and Senators Panfilo Lacson and Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel to file a resolution that would oppose President Duterte’s plan to scrap the country’s VFA with the US.
It was reported that the resolution that may be filed today would seek a review and not a termination of the VFA.
Guevarra said the Presidential Commission on Visiting Forces will meet again today and may come out with a firmer picture on the VFA issue.
After the meeting, he said, he will submit to the President the impact assessment on the VFA termination.
Guevarra said “the Department of Justice will consolidate the assessment made by other concerned executive agencies.”
“We have no direct information about the comments of the Senate. But coincidentally, the suggestion of some senators to review (and not to terminate) the VFA happened to be one of the options considered by the Cabinet Cluster,” he added.
The Office of the President had earlier directed the DoJ to study the procedure on the VFA termination and, later, instructed it to also conduct an impact assessment. (Rey Panaligan)