By Roy Mabasa
Philippine Ambassador to Washington Jose “Babes” Romualdez disclosed on Friday that they will recommend the adoption of a new agreement with the United States, most likely in the “next two or three months” to replace the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) which was abrogated by President Duterte last Feb.11.
Romualdez made this revelation in his speech at the Stratbase-Albert Del Rosario Institute-hosted forum in Makati City where the future of the Philippines-US relations sans the VFA was discussed.
“We are now in the process of trying to find ways and means to be able to see how we can either come out with something similar, perhaps again, still following the President’s thinking about the sovereignty issue. I think the Japan formula, which they call SOFA (Status of Forces Agreement), is one of those recommended for study. And I think we have a VFA with Australia,” Romualdez said.
While admitting that he is not at liberty to discuss the details of the ongoing study, Romualdez said they are basically looking to both the SoFA and the VFA with Australia as “templates” which will be discussed between the militaries from both sides.
“These are the two possible agreements that could be a template for us to look into. I’m afraid that things will have to be on a level that would be discussed between our militaries and ultimately recommend it to the President,” he added.
Romualdez further admitted that talks are now ongoing in both Manila and Washington, with US Ambassador to the Philippines Sung Kim currently in the US capital talking to “friends”.
“Ambassador Kim is in Washington, D.C. now and I’m here. So he’s doing my job in Washington and I’m doing his job here. It’s working quite well for us. We’ve been talking almost every day, seeing how we can move forward with our relationship with the US,” he said.
In moving forward, Romualdez explained that the bottom line in the talks that would transpire between the two sides is the “very ticklish and very sensitive issue of sovereignty.”
“From what I’m told, the door is not totally shut as far as it is concerned. But the bottom line always falls on the sovereignty,” he said.
In his speech, Romualdez stressed that the issue of sovereignty was a key issue when President Duterte decided to terminate the VFA.
He cited, in particular, two separate instances when US Senators Richard Durbin and Ed Markey who invited him to the US capitol asking him to shed light on the status of Sen. Leila De Lima’s case.
In their second meeting in November last year, the Filipino envoy said it was disturbing when Sen. Markey, "with his finger pointed at me", telling the Philippine government to release De Lima from her detention.
“I told the (US) senators that is something that I don't think is possible at all because we do have a justice system in the Philippines, whether it is something they are not happy with but certainly that was truly infringing in our sovereignty. I told them it is something that we cannot even discuss because as we know, the courts will be the one to do that,” Romuladez said.
He recalled that after their meeting, it was then when the US Senate adopted a resolution banning the entry of certain Philippine government officials to American soil.
“That is why we are now where we are today, in the termination of the VFA,” Romualdez said.