MANILA, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte was only being “consistent” with his previous pronouncements when he barred members of his Cabinet from going to the United States.
Zamboanga Sibugay Rep. Ann Hofer, who chairs the House committee on foreign affairs, made this statement Thursday as she stressed that maintaining a partnership is a “two-way street.”
“In as much as the U.S. stands by its policy, the President is also duty-bound to defend our dignity as a nation,” Hofer told INQUIRER.net in a text message.
“I firmly believe that the President only has the best interest of the Filipino people in mind,” she added.
Despite the recent events between the Philippines and the U.S., Hofer still hopes that the “decades-long friendship and alliance” between the two countries will still prevail.
President Rodrigo Duterte earlier threatened to scrap the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) if the United States will not “rectify” the revocation of Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa’s visa.
Duterte would later reiterate that he was not joking with his threat to terminate the agreement and even barred members of his Cabinet from traveling to the U.S.
During the founding anniversary of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), the President said that he is now “toning down” relations between the Philippines and the U.S.