PCOO Sec Jose Ruperto Martin Andanar. PDI/JOAN BONDOC
MANILA, Philippines — Communications Secretary Martin Andanar slammed the United States’ “intervention” with the country’s local affairs, mentioning how the Philippines did not get involved when the US impeached President Donald Trump.
“To say also that the United States can intervene in our local politics and in our bureaucracy and the decisions of the bureaucracy, or the executive powers, or the judicial branch is unimaginable,” Andanar said in an interview with ANC Headstart.
“The Philippine Senate did not even intervene when the Congress of the United States impeached President Donald Trump,” he added.
Trump was impeached by the US House of Representatives over charges of abuse of power.
Andanar said this as he justified the termination of the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) between the Philippines and the US
Despite President Rodrigo Duterte’s cordial relationship with his US counterpart, Andanar stressed the need for the US Senate’s exclusion from the country’s affairs.
“President Trump is a good friend of President Rodrigo Roa Duterte as we’ve seen in several engagements of both leaders,” Andanar said.
“But the fact is, you have some members of the US Senate who are intervening with our business here in the Philippines. That should not be the case,” he continued.
The process of abrogating the VFA has started last week upon the President’s order, Malacañang said.
Duterte threatened to scrap the pact after former police chief and Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa’s US visa was canceled.