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Old 06-02-2020, 04:56 PM
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Arrow Philippines president does about-face on withdrawal from US military alliance

Philippines president does about-face on withdrawal from US military alliance
By: Rodrigo Duterte - The National Asia News - 06-02-20
Re: https://www.thenational.ae/world/asi...ance-1.1028078

Rodrigo Duterte has been distancing country from long-time ally US and forging closer ties with China. (But he must feel that could be the end of his leadership in PI).

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has suspended plans to pull out of a two-decade military pact with the US after political developments in the region, his foreign minister said on Tuesday.

Mr Duterte warned Washington in January that he would repeal the Visiting Forces Agreement, which allows for US troops in the country, after the US denied entry to a Philippine senator.

The agreement, which is central to one of Washington’s most important alliances in Asia, was to be ended in August.

That would have been Mr Duterte’s biggest move yet towards delivering on long-standing threats to downgrade ties with Washington.

That stance alarmed some members of his administration who see the American military alliance as instrumental to Philippines security.

Mr Duterte's embrace of historic rival China has prompted opponents to accuse him of gambling with sovereignty in pursuit of huge investments that have not materialized.

The Visiting Forces Agreement, signed in 1998, gave legal status to thousands of US troops who were rotated in the country for military exercises and humanitarian operations.

Mr Duterte's decision to downgrade the alliance came after the US rescinded a visa for former police chief Senator Ronald dela Rosa, an early architect of the country’s violent crackdown on drugs.

The reason given for pulling out of the agreement was to allow the Philippines to diversify foreign relations.

Mr Duterte has argued that the presence of US forces makes the Philippines a potential target for foreign aggression.

The government said the decision to stay in the alliance was made “in light of political and other developments in the region”.

Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin said the decision was well received by the US.

“Our long-standing alliance has benefited both countries, and we look forward to continued close security and defense co-operation with the Philippines,” the US embassy in Manila said.

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Duterte must know that the Chinese - once there - would result in his short comings as the leader of P.I. The game he plays with the US won't work with China! They would just eliminate him and bring in their own lap dog. Take PI and all the islands around it.

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O Almighty Lord God, who neither slumberest nor sleepest; Protect and assist, we beseech thee, all those who at home or abroad, by land, by sea, or in the air, are serving this country, that they, being armed with thy defence, may be preserved evermore in all perils; and being filled with wisdom and girded with strength, may do their duty to thy honour and glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

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  #2  
Old 06-03-2020, 06:15 AM
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Arrow Philippines put hold on abrogation of military pact with US

Philippines put hold on abrogation of military pact with US
By: Chris Chang - Taiwan News - 06-03-20
Re: https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3944340

Agreement that gives US troops access to South China Sea continues

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Philippines foreign minister Teodoro Lopez Locsin Jr claimed on Monday (June 1) that President Rodrigo Duterte plans to suspend the pending termination of the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) between the Philippines and the U.S.

In the statement, Locsin stated that the Southeast Asian country looked forward to continuing its strong military partnership with the U.S. as a regional ally and emphasized this action should alarm no country in Asia or the rest of the world. The suspension will continue for six months, which can be extended to another six months, depending on the conditions.

The VFA, which went into effect in 1999, reinforced the obligations of the Philippines and the U.S. in their 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty, while allowing U.S. forces to enter the country for joint training. Nevertheless, on February 10, 2020, Duterte notified the U.S. that he would abolish the agreement, with the termination to start automatically after 180 days.

Duterte's action was seen as revenge for Washington's decision in 2016 to cancel the U.S. visa of Filipino Senator Ronald dela Rosa, who had been conducting a bloody anti-drug crackdown as the national police chief at that time. With thousands of mostly poor suspects slaughtered, Duterte's war on drugs alarmed human rights watchdogs worldwide, the AP reported.

In response to Duterte's original decision to end the VFA, U.S. Secretary of Defense Mark Esper called it a move in the wrong direction. The president's announcement had not immediately halted military cooperation between the two counties, either; their annual joint military exercise, Balikatan, was slated to take place last month, but only got canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic.

As China has been aggressively operating in the South China Sea in recent years, the VFA is crucial for the U.S. to swiftly respond to China's expansion. If it were terminated, the U.S. would find it harder to counteract China's increasing threats and defend the safety of its naval forces in the region, the VOA reported.

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Personal note: This flip-flopping is common for Duterte he's always looking for an edge that will enhance his position and financial gains. He's a brutal dictator and its always about him and his position. This will continue until he's taken out or eliminated by his people.

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O Almighty Lord God, who neither slumberest nor sleepest; Protect and assist, we beseech thee, all those who at home or abroad, by land, by sea, or in the air, are serving this country, that they, being armed with thy defence, may be preserved evermore in all perils; and being filled with wisdom and girded with strength, may do their duty to thy honour and glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

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  #3  
Old 06-03-2020, 12:16 PM
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Thumbs up Philippines Reinstates Pact with US Military

Philippines Reinstates Pact with US Military
By: VOA News - 06-03-20 - 02:41 PM
Re: https://www.voanews.com/east-asia-pa...ct-us-military

The Philippines has reinstated its Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) with the United States, said Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin, Jr. Tuesday on Twitter.

The island nation had announced the termination of the 1988 agreement in February, providing the mandatory 180 days’ notice. According to terms of the termination process, the nations had until August to restore the accord.

The decision to revive the deal was made “in light of political and other developments in the region,” Loscin said in a diplomatic letter sent to Washington. He did not elaborate.

The U.S. embraced the Philippines’ change in policy. “Our longstanding alliance has benefited both countries, and we look forward to continued close security and defense cooperation with the Philippines,” said the U.S. embassy in Manila in a statement.
Analysts say the reversal indicates the Philippines now thinks China has become an increased threat, inducing a desire for the security a U.S. military deterrence could offer.

The VFA, which permitted the U.S. military to conduct joint exercises in the Philippines, also gave the Philippines’ armed forces training to combat terrorism and drug trafficking. Additionally, the exercises were seen as a response to China’s recent encroachments of disputed territory in the South China Sea.

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s February announcement on canceling the pact with the U.S. was viewed as a strategic realignment with historic enemy China, coming on the heels of his pronouncement that, "I need China. More than anybody else at this point, I need China.”
Duterte also characterized the U.S. as “ill-mannered” and said that the deal was unfair.

Duterte has often painted China’s military action in the South China Sea as benign and harmless, even as China’s People’s Liberation Army has moved increasingly advanced anti-submarine and reconnaissance craft into disputed waterways.

Several other places, including Vietnam and Taiwan, are also locked in territorial disputes with China in the South China Sea.

An average of 18 Chinese vessels have been around the Philippines each day, according to an analysis published in March by the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative of the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

Bonnie Glaser, director of the China Power Project at the CSIS in Washington, tells The New York Times that the restoration of the VFA is a setback for China.

“Beijing has long sought to weaken U.S. alliances, and has benefited from the friction in recent years in U.S.-Philippine relations,” she told the paper. “So, a decision by Manila to suspend plans to terminate the VFA will be seen as contrary to Chinese interests.”

China has not made a public statement regarding Duterte’s reversal.
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Personal note: Duterte's reversal - just save his life and his job. Had China come in he would quickly disappear and I think he finally reneged his China agreements. I know for a fact they would have taken him out shortly after moving in. I think he realized that his future was very short lived had they taken over PI. I'm also very sure the People of PI
didn't want China moving in especially with past consequences during WWII when they invaded PI. The were brutally killed and abused and were China's slaves. I'm glad we still have PI and its bases they are critical to our Air Force and Navy. It's in a vital area to prevent China movements.

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O Almighty Lord God, who neither slumberest nor sleepest; Protect and assist, we beseech thee, all those who at home or abroad, by land, by sea, or in the air, are serving this country, that they, being armed with thy defence, may be preserved evermore in all perils; and being filled with wisdom and girded with strength, may do their duty to thy honour and glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

"IN GOD WE TRUST"
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