Sen. Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III yesterday assured that the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations is conducting a vigorous review of the Visiting Forces Agreement.
Pimentel said the panel’s public hearing and the executive session that followed last Thursday is proof of the Senate’s commitment to assess the 1999 military accord which President Duterte wants to abrogate following the cancellation of Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa’s US visa.
But Pimentel said the Senate won’t be bound by the deadline issued by the President, who gave his Cabinet members and the US one month to rectify it.
“The Executive branch can do what they want to do. We, the Legislative branch, will do what we need to do. We are independent of each other,” Pimentel, committee chairman, said.
“I’m not bound by it. We are not bound by it. That’s why we told the Executive branch, you have a job to do. Then do it.
“If you reach the deadline, we can’t do anything about it. You have a self-imposed deadline eh.”
Pimentel said the review will center on Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr.’s suggestion to seriously weigh the benefits of keeping the VFA vis-à-vis the risks in terminating accord.
During the hearing, Locsin enumerated the benefits and the possible implications of terminating the VFA.
But according to Pimentel, the general sentiment aired by the military and security officials during the closed-door hearing is that the country “is being treated unequally by the US.”
“We have a basis of an improved VFA, which is our VFA with Australia. We have a better Visiting Forces Agreement with Australia, pantay talaga ang treatment,” Pimentel said. (Hannah Torregoza)
