President Rodrigo Duterte, on Tuesday, said the United States reached out to him after the Visiting Forces Agreement or VFA abrogation.
Duterte made the statement before the newly appointed government officials in Malacañang yesterday. He said the US Ambassador to the Philippines Sung Kim met with him.
“We’re talking about US-Philippines relationship,” Duterte said.
“Sinabi ko kay ambassador, itong ruckus na dumating, it came to a fore ‘yung alitan ko sa kanila. Tinanggal ko ‘yung VFA, sila naman ang lapit nang lapit,” he added.
(I told the ambassador, this ruckus, it came to a fore, my dispute with them. I got rid of the VFA, and now they keep on reaching out to me.)
Earlier, US Ambassador Jose Manuel Romualdez said he and Kim were trying to find ways to create another agreement similar to the VFA, which governs the conduct of visiting US personnel holding military exercises in the Philippines.
US reaching out after VFA abrogation- Duterte
However, Palace said Duterte’s position on the VFA abrogation is final and will not change.
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump said the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) termination between the US and the Philippines is fine with him and that it would save his country a lot of money.
“If they would like to do that, that’s fine, we’ll save a lot of money,” Trump told reporters at the White House.
The President first threatened to revoke the VFA after Senator and former PNP Chief Bato Dela Rosa’s US visa was canceled. He also then banned Senator Edward Markey of Massachusetts from entering the country.