Malacañang has reiterated that President Rodrigo R. Duterte remains firm on his decision to abrogate the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) between the Philippines and the United States of America.
Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo issued the statement after Philippine Ambassador to the US Jose Manuel Romualdez has been quoted as saying that Manila and Washington are finding ways to come up with a deal similar to that of the VFA.
However, Panelo points out that the initiatives of Romualdez is part of his job.
“You can’t stop ambassador. The President’s position remains unchanged, for diplomacy lang, for future use,” Panelo said.
He also assures that the government is prepared for any consequences of the abrogation on the country’s economy and defense.
“The position of the President is to have an independent foreign policy, and that means, if any treaty or agreement is abrogated then necessarily certain consequences will follow. And the President already said that he has studied that, so we are prepared.”
The agreement s with other countries will remain unchanged, unless problems regarding the country’s sovereignty arise, Panelo adds.
