FALLOUT | Military chief prepares measures to cushion impact of VFA termination

February 12, 2020 , 01:03 PM

FEBRUARY 12, 2020 – The Armed Forces of the Philippines has prepared plans to soften the impact of possible loss of military capabilities after the government terminated an agreement allowing US presence in the country, the new military chief said on Wednesday.

General Filemon Santos, designated as the new chief of staff, told senators during his confirmation hearing that the military’s operational readiness as well rescue capabilities during disasters might be affected by the abrogation of the 1998 Visiting Forces Agreement.

“It will affect our rescue operations definitely,” Santos said, responding to a query from a senator who recalled US military support at the height of Typhoon Haiyan in 2013.

On Tuesday, the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte officially notified its intention to end the agreement granting legal status to thousands of US soldiers to train and exercise in the country.

The two-decade-old treaty also covers the movements of US military ships and planes in the Philippines.

Santos said the AFP has already presented to Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana a plan on how to offset the potential fallout from the loss of some military capabilities after annual exercises and training activities with the US are gone.

He did not give details of the plan to cushion the VFA loss.

The status of forces arrangement will end in six months, or 180 days from the time US officially received the notice of termination.

“Part of filling the gap is we will increase our bilateral exercises with other countries not only the United States,” Santos said, citing South Korea, Japan, Indonesia and other allied countries.

But Santos did not specify any large-scale activities with these countries because the Philippines does not have any VFA deals with these countries.

As for the military exercises with the US, Santos said they have lined up a total of 318 activities this year.

Ten are major exercises, including the annual Balikatan where thousands of American and Filipino forces participate.

Santos said the exercises will push through unless the US government cancels it, while the rest of activities scheduled beyond six months will no longer be implemented.

“We are not the only one gaining from the training, it’s also the US soldiers gaining skills from us considering we are one of the most experienced soldiers,” Santos said.

He said the two sides also learned and gained more experience during the five-month conflict in Marawi, which led to the killing of the top commanders of the Abu Sayyaf Group and Maute Group, and their other counterinsurgency operations.

On Monday night, President Rodrigo Duterte gave the go signal to terminate the visiting forces accord despite concerns raised by lawmakers and his political allies.

This is in retaliation to the sanctions imposed by Washington on Philippine government officials and security forces involved in the alleged unlawful detention of a sitting senator and the controversial war on drugs that killed close to 6,000 suspects.

Malacañang has earlier warned the president will not sit down idly and watch, even if the US and Philippines had been on a strategic alliance for more than 70 years. (Karen Macalalad/MM)

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