President Rodrigo Duterte admitted he has yet to decide on the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) with the United States of America.
During his latest public address aired Wednesday night, Pres. Duterte said he is seeking the opinion of the citizens regarding the matter through the 8888 government hotline.
“No. I have not yet as yet decided on what to do. Meaning to say, to abrogate or renew because I want to hear the people. I want the narratives to come up. Not necessarily from the… Well, of course, they count very much, pero hindi limitado rito sa (but not limited to) Congress,” he stated.
“Ang ordinaryong mamamayan (The ordinary citizen) can have the say and, I said, there is always the 8888 and you can enter your objections or any comment that you think would help the country and pati kami rito matulungan ninyo (you could also help us),” he added.
On February 2020, the chief executive terminated the agreement that authorizes the US to conduct military drills in the country. However, the termination was suspended on June 2020.
– Report from Mela Lesmoras
