Solons to file bills terminating VFA

A SENATOR and a congressman are set to file on Monday a joint resolution calling for the termination of the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) between the Philippines and the United States.

Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago said Akbayan Rep. Walden Bello had agreed to gather support in the House of Representatives so Congress could formally indicate its displeasure over the disadvantage the VFA puts the Philippines in vis-a-vis the United States.

The move stems from the furor over the alleged dumping on Subic Bay of untreated waste collected by a US Navy-contracted vessel, the MT Glenn Guardian, from the submarine tender Emory Land.

Santiago has said that while the Glenn Guardian should be held accountable for dumping its waste cargo in Philippine waters, the US government should also be held responsible since the contents came from one of its Navy ships.

Under the law, the Senate has the sole authority to ratify foreign agreements.

“Although only the Senate possesses policy-making powers in foreign relations, I think we should bring it up in the House,”  Santiago said.

She said consultations with the University of the Philippine Law Center indicated that the move to terminate the VFA “must be treated almost like a bill,” meaning the Senate and the House must pass corresponding versions that would be signed by the President.

As it is, Santiago said current laws “do not provide for how to abrogate the VFA.”

However, she said the Philippines was not required to justify why it had decided to terminate the VFA.

Once the Senate and the House separately approved the joint resolution that she and Bello would file, there would be no need to hold a bicameral conference committee to reconcile any provisions.

“The joint resolution goes to the President for approval.  If he does not sign it in 30 days, it would become law,” Santiago said.

But she added that the President had the power to veto the joint resolution.

“Otherwise, if the President allows it to lapse into law, he has to direct the Secretary of Foreign Affairs to send the notice of termination to the US embassy here,” the senator said.

Santiago giggled and said “No” when asked in an impromptu news conference whether she was “confident” that she and Bello could convince enough legislators to support the joint resolution.

“It depends on the ideology of the members of the House and the Senate…It cannot be done before yearend…but we can start the movement now,” she said.

Santiago has long been known to be against the VFA.

She questioned the term “visiting” after noting that US military troops had actually set up permanent structures in Zamboanga province which made the term moot.

“This is actually a permanent visit.  They have been here for 13 years. They are misleading us about the nature of their visit. Even international media is aware of this,” she said in Filipino.