US and Philippine marines storm the beach to simulate a raid during the joint U.S.-Philippines military exercise dubbed Balikatan 2014 Friday, May 9, 2014 at the Naval Training Exercise Command, a former US naval base, and facing the South China Sea at San Antonio township, Zambales province northwest of Manila, Philippines. AP FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines — On Independence Day, activist group Makabansang Alyansa urged President Rodrigo Duterte to abrogate the country’s “one-sided” treaties with the United States.
Even as the country marked its 123rd year of independence, the group said there are still “doubts and apprehension” if the Philippines had really attained it.
“We call on President Rodrigo Duterte to permanently abrogate one-sided treaties that only best serve the interest of the United States of America, such as the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) and Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA),” the group said Saturday in a statement.
Duterte threatened to scrap the VFA in 2019 and even went as far as demanding payment to keep the pact.
Philippine and US officials have since met to iron out differences over the deal.
“Equal and fair agreements with all our neighbors in Asia and the entire regions as far as Russia. That’s the only way we can say we are truly independent and sovereign with the respect of other countries,” Makabansang Alyansa said.
In February, Duterte asked the public’s opinion on the VFA admitting he has not decided whether to continue with its abrogation or not.