The Philippines Notifies the US of Intent to end a Military Agreement
Air and sea exercise during one of the exercises held near the Philippines. (Navy/Class Mark R. Alvarez/Released)
Philippine’s president, Dutarte, made good on his desire to notify the U.S. of his intention to end an agreement related to U.S. forces in the Philippines. Both countries engage in bilateral military exercises in training areas in and around the Philippines. This brings American service members into the country for both training and recreation.
This move appears to have started from a decision, by the US, to cancel the visa of one of Dutarte’s allies, Ronald dela Rosa. He is associated with human rights violations involving anti-drug enforcement. He’s currently serving in the Filipino senate.
Dutarte attempted to get the decision, with the visa, reversed. However, the U.S. side didn’t meet his demand. The US and the Philippines now have 180 days to take action to save it.
From Military Times:
The accord, known by its acronym VFA, legally allows the entry of large numbers of American forces along with U.S. military ships and aircraft for joint training with Filipino troops. It specifies which country will have jurisdiction over American soldiers, who may be accused of crimes while in the Philippines, a sensitive issue in the former American colony.
A separate defense pact subsequently signed by the allies in 2014, the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement, allows the extended stay of U.S. forces and authorizes them to build and maintain barracks and warehouses and store defense equipment and weapons inside five designated Philippine military camps.
A Filipino senator and former national police chief, Panfilo Lacson, said terminating the treaty would reduce the two allies’ 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty “to a mere paper treaty as far as the U.S. is concerned.”
Those, in the Philippines, who oppose this decision point to the need for the US when dealing with China. The Chinese claim a large section of the South China Sea, placing its non-recognized borders against that of southeast Asian countries that have competing claims in the South China Sea.
Military Times has the full article here.
Category: Military issues
They are gonna be sorry!
BALIKATAN brought in $$$$ to the PI.
Anyone who has been there knows what happened to surrounding cities that encompassed Clark Air Force Base and Subic Bay.
😉😎
Without ol’ Olongapo where would Jesse Ventura haven gotten his “in theater” ‘Nam service?
This will cost their economy millions…
Closing Clark and Subic back in the day cost them billions as ninja (semi) stated above.
I was AD Army back then and heard many a story about how their Economy crashed and burned after Clark and Subic Bay closed. As I heard it, the lease was coming due and the Filipino Legislature decided they wanted to hit Uncle Sugar up for more money to which the reply was “No thanks” and buh-bye. The following eruption of Mount Pinatubo didn’t do them any favors either!
Wonder if they think when the Chinese move in that they will be a better ruler, err…occupier than the Japanese were? Or, are they going to go ahead and let the mooslems take over? These sumbitches have very short memories of the thousands of Americans that died to make them free.
Wake up people of Earth. It is the desire of the Chinese to have world domination. Too bad you refuse to see it.
When Manila’s Gold supply was put aboard a US Sub during WW2, they were one gold bar short when the sub was being unload, so after some time it was found between pages in the subs cook book being used as a book mark.
“WON’T SOMEBODY PLEASE THINK OF THE HOOKERS!!”
– Helen Lovejoy
“We got this”
– Crew of every ship in the Pacific Fleet
I’m OK with letting them hate us for free…why pay for that kind of action?
“Well…….bye”
you smell that….smells like somebody died…
Jeezus Johnny…. Ike…. take Stillwell and finish it….
Bye, enjoy learning Mandarin…
Will this end the Filipino pipeline to the mess desks/supply department of our Navy’s ships? When I was in, 83-87, my ship had every other PO1/E-6 MS or SK was Filipino…they were like the Mafia. Any new Filipino reporting on board knew right where to go to find a homie…and I was on the East Coast.
Well, they can always exercise with the Vietnamese.
Olongapo hookers don’t understand,
The lonely life of a service man.
We wanna get laid every day,
We just never wanna pay.
Head nod to John Engstrom.
Bye bye! As long as we take our checkbook with us!
I wish the Philippines good luck with that 50 year old Communist insurgency (NPP), Abu Sayyaf, and various other terrorist groups now that US forces will not be there to “train and advise” them.
Who are “the Philippines?”
Oh well… have fun with radical Islam.
Give em enough rope…