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Roque blasts extortion yarn over VFA issue, insists US must pay for it

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President Rodrigo Duterte was not extorting the United States when he said the US should “pay” if it wants the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) to continue.

Presidential spokesman Harry Roque also said the Philippines can get more than the $3.9 billion as “compensation” in exchange for the continued presence of American troops in the Philippines.

In a virtual press briefing, Roque said the President was only right to ask the US to pay because it is making the Philippines a “valid military target.”

He cited the principle of state responsibility in international law that applies to the use by a state of another state’s territory and such use results in damage or injury to the latter.

“This is not extortion,” he said. “If a war breaks out, the American troops are here in the Philippines. What will their enemies do then? Do you think they will show us mercy?”

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“They won’t spare us because we allowed the presence of American troops and equipment in the Philippines,” Roque added.

Senator Panfilo Lacson had earlier said the President’s call for the US to pay sounded like extortion.

Roque, citing a report by the Washington-based think tank Stimson Center,said the Philippines received a total of $3.9 billion from 2002 to 2017 for counterterrorism efforts while Pakistan got $16.4 billion.

“America is giving Pakistan at least four times more than what it is giving the Philippines. “That’s chump change compared to what they are giving to other countries. For instance, Pakistan. When did they become allies?” he said.

“We think we should get something similar or close to that amount. But definitely, not the amount we are currently getting,” Roque said.

The Philippines’ diplomatic ties with the US started in 1946 while the US’ diplomatic ties with Pakistan started in 1947. However, the US’ military relations with Pakistan has been referred to as “America’s most allied ally in Asia” due to shared interests in security and stability in South Asia, Central Asia, as well as in regions covering Eastern Europe.

“Pakistan got $16 billion. We think we should get something similar or close to that amount but definitely not the amount we’re currently getting,” he said.

But former Foreign Affairs secretary Albert del Rosario said the President should demand compensation from China in the amount of P230 billion for its massive marine destruction in the West Philippine Sea, instead of seeking payment from the United States.

“The President’s position that the US should pay for the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) to continue—is a sentiment that is not shared by our patriotic soldiers and our countrymen who want to defend our West Philippine Sea against China,” Del Rosario said, even as the described Duterte’s statement as “unfortunate.”

“Instead, it is a sentiment shared by the Chinese Communist Party, which does not want other countries helping the Philippines defend its waters,” he added.

Del Rosario, who served as Department of Foreign Affairs secretary under the Aquino administration, deplored President Duterte’s remarks demanding payment from the US if it wants to keep its Visiting Forces Agreement with the Philippines.

Del Rosario said the VFA is an integral part of the implementation of the 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty forged by the US and the Philippines as security partners after World War II.

The VFA allows American soldiers to participate in large-scale training exercises with their Filipino counterparts in the country. It is a framework agreement that covers the treatment and presence of American forces in the country with or without war games.

“It is incomprehensible that when partners help each other against a common enemy, one party is asking his partner to pay. This is the gist of the President’s unfortunate position on the VFA,” Del Rosario said.

“On the other hand, China owes Filipinos more than P230 billion in damages for undertaking the most devastating marine destruction in the West Philippine Sea, which will eventually cause a food crisis among Filipinos in the near future. In this case, when will President Duterte demand China to pay?” he said.

The Palace on Monday said the President wants to be “a good neighbor” to Beijing.

But his spokesman Harry Roque this did not mean he was tough on the US and soft on China.

“The President is only being a good neighbor to China because whether we like it or not, it is our neighbor,” he said in Filipino.

He said it was important to have warm ties with neighboring countries, “in the same way that it is important to be a good neighbor in our communities.”

Roque again raised a common Duterte warning that the Philippines cannot afford to go to war with China.

“This is the reality,” Roque said, denying President Duterte’s supposed lack of patriotism when he admitted he “cannot afford to be brave in the mouth of China.”

Senator Risa Hontiveros on Monday called on Department of Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana to stand up for the country’s interests in the West Philippine Sea.

She also renewed her call for a clear, consistent, and firm national policy for meeting the challenge of Chinese aggression in the disputed waters.

Earlier, Lorenzana downplayed the risks posed by China’s Coast Guard Law — which authorizes the use of force against foreign vessels within disputed areas claimed by Beijing — by encouraging FIlipino fishermen to continue fishing in their traditional fishing grounds. However, in another statement, Lorenzana said that the Philippines will not be joining naval drills in the South China Sea with other countries in the region for fear of antagonizing China.

Lorenzana said that “China is watching,” and that “a lot of things could be done to us by the Chinese government if they are antagonized.”

“With all due respect, Secretary Lorenzana, now is the time for firmness,” Hontiveros said.

She said China’s aggressiveness in the West Philippine Sea, and not joining military exercises with allies and other friendly nations, is the real threat to peace and stability in the region.

“Why are we so considerate about antagonizing China when China seems intent on antagonizing us every day?” Hontiveros asked.

“I have always respected Secretary Lorenzana as an officer and a gentleman, but his flip-flopping and indecisiveness will only lead China to think that we are a weak nation,” she said.

“We also cannot stand up to China alone. But how are we going to work together with our allies when we don’t even want to be seen with them when China is looking? This is the sort of policy that is very unlikely to inspire confidence in the Philippines as a partner nation,” she added.

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