Lacson: Cabinet members worried about VFA scrapping

National defense chair Sen. Panfilo Lacson on Thursday warned that a “good number” of Cabinet members “have apprehensions and reservations” about President Rodrigo Duterte’s decision on the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) and are worried about its possible effects.

“Many (of the Cabinet members) are just afraid (to tell) the President … While they are expressing their views, they are also being careful about how to dissuade him from proceeding with the abrogation,” Lacson said at the Kapihan sa Senado news forum.

“Those who have talked to us are unanimous … I have not spoken with anyone who was all-out in supporting (the President) in abrogating (the VFA),” the senator added.

Also on Thursday, in an Inquirer interview, Sen. Richard Gordon confirmed Lacson’s claim, adding, however, that despite their opposition, Cabinet officials still respected the President’s opinion on the matter.

Armed Forces of the Philippines spokesperson Brig. Gen. Edgard Arevalo recalled how the country had managed without the presence of American bases after the Senate voted against a new bases agreement in 1991.