International Duterte Harry v3: Philippines Tells U.S. It Will End Military Cooperation Deal

[ShinkanPo]

The exact same thing would happen. The right-wing Christians are well aware that Trump is not religious, but they consider him preferable to the alternative.

Just imagine what CNN will do all day what would Don Lemmon say. Lol.

But I am sure there will be more media backlash.

 

[Makani]

I think this was always bound to happen. He's reached the point where he's instilled a bit of fear, and that's all it takes to get people diving under your umbrella.

 

[IGotAHugePeckah]

This Duterte guy sounds like a real silly goose.

 

[S Class]

Duterte is a traitor to his country. He had the opportunity to make real change but became China's lapdog instead.

 

[JDragon]

Court orders release of files on drug war deaths:

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2...-police-files-on-thousands-of-drug-war-deaths

 

[ShinkanPo]

DurrTete

 

[Roaming East]

but how is Trike Patrol doing?

 

[ShinkanPo]

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/arti...WZamJwwjCkuunfXdabjW1msMDS4KmD0m3m1hVKG7GK6Aw



Duterte Stands by China, Doubts Own Fishermen in Sea Collision



He threatens Canada with War over thrash but with China he wants to be calm and wait for more facts and even doubts his own people and calls it just an ordinary maritime incident after a Chinese Militia fishing boat rammed a Filipino Vessel left the stranded crew in the middle of the sea.

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte is standing by China over a collision involving the two nations’ boats in the South China Sea, with his spokesman casting doubts on local fishermen’s accounts of the incident.

In his first public statement about what he described as a “maritime incident,” Duterte said China’s side should be heard on the collision that resulted in a Philippine vessel carrying 22 fishermen sinking in disputed waters on June 9. The crew were rescued by a Vietnamese fishing boat and a Philippine Navy ship.

“It is best investigated. I don’t issue a statement now because there’s no investigation and no result," Duterte said in speech at a Philippine Navy event on Monday night. "The only thing we can do is wait and give the other party the right to be heard.”

Read more: ‘Hit-and-Run’ in Disputed Sea Risks China, Philippines Flare-Up

The Philippines will not escalate tensions with China by sending military ships to the South China Sea following the collision, he added, reiterating his nation isn’t ready to go to war with Beijing.

At a briefing Tuesday, Duterte’s spokesman Salvador Panelo said there are "circumstances that give doubt to the version" of the Filipino fishermen, including how most of them were asleep when the collision happened.

“The President doesn’t want this to be blown into an international crisis,” Panelo said. “We are being careful because there will be repercussions if we make the wrong move.”

‘Passive’ Policy
Duterte stuck to his pro-China stance despite calls from the opposition, led by Vice President Leni Robredo, to change his “passive” China policy by actively asserting the nation’s rights in the disputed waters. Robredo, in a Facebook post Sunday, also called on Duterte’s government to demand the Chinese fishermen’s trial in the Philippines.

Some related stuff in the region.

It looks like the US has been quietly lowering the threshold for conflict in the South China Sea

 

[Arkain2K]

Philippines bans two U.S. senators, mulls new visa rules for Americans​

Senator Richard Durbin (D-IL) speaks to reporters as he arrives for a vote on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., September 17, 2019.​

The Philippines has banned two U.S. lawmakers from visiting and will introduce tighter entry restrictions for U.S. citizens should Washington enforce sanctions over the detention of a top government critic, the president's spokesman said on Friday.

President Rodrigo Duterte will impose a requirement on U.S. nationals to get visas should any Philippine officials involved in the incarceration of Senator Leila de Lima be denied entry to the United States, as sought by U.S. senators Richard Durbin and Patrick Leahy.

Duterte's move comes after the U.S. Congress approved a 2020 budget that contains a provision introduced by the senators against anyone involved in holding de Lima, who was charged with drug offences in early 2017 after she led an investigation into mass killings during Duterte's notorious anti-drugs crackdown.

"We will not sit idly if they continue to interfere with our processes as a sovereign state," Philippine presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo told a regular news conference.

The Philippines grants visa-free entry for up to 30 days to Americans, 792,000 of whom visited in the first nine months of 2019, nearly 13% of foreign arrivals, government data showed.

The U.S. embassy in Manila did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Panelo said travel restrictions over de Lima's detention were nonsense because she was not wrongfully imprisoned but detained pending trial for crimes.

"The case of Senator de Lima is not one of persecution but of prosecution," he said.

Duterte makes no secret of his disdain for the United States and what he considers its hypocrisy and interference, though he admits that most Filipinos and his military have high regard for their country's former colonial ruler.

The United States is the Philippines biggest defense ally and its main source of Western influence. Millions of Filipinos have relatives who are U.S. citizens.

De Lima, a justice minister in a former administration, on Wednesday expressed what she described as overwhelming gratitude to the U.S. Congress for its help.

She has won numerous awards from human rights groups, who consider her a prisoner of conscience.

She has constantly spoken out against Duterte and been calling for an international investigation into his war on drugs, in which thousands of people have been killed.

Police say those killed were drug dealers who resisted arrest, but activists believe many of the killings were murders.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...ls-new-visa-rules-for-americans-idUSKBN1YV0GX

 

[MilesAbove]

I was in Manila when Dutarte was.... sworn in? Or gave his first big speech. It was pretty clear people were fearful of what he might do. Turns out those people had reason to be worried.

 

[NSX-R]

The majority of Americans who visit the Philippines are Filipino Americans who spend hundreds of millions, possibly billions, of dollars during their vacations there. Imposing visa requirements on those spend-crazy Fil-Ams will hurt the Philippines, not America.

 

[Mendacious]

Let’s see Duterte try to limit the amount of American military that can enter...let’s see how he handles Filipino sovereignty without big daddy America pushing China back

 

[ShinkanPo]

The majority of Americans who visit the Philippines are Filipino Americans who spend hundreds of millions, possibly billions, of dollars during their vacations there. Imposing visa requirements on those spend-crazy Fil-Ams will hurt the Philippines, not America.

And even one of his daughters has dual citizenship I think.

Lets see the USA try to ban a certain Philippine Senator who is a huge supporter of Dutz.. you know that Senator who won and earn moneu thru countless boxing matches in Vegas?

Also a ton of his supporters either from the Military and Business elites have ties to USA.

 

[Stoic1]

Let’s see Duterte try to limit the amount of American military that can enter...let’s see how he handles Filipino sovereignty without big daddy America pushing China back

They actually do that. Or did that.

I was deployed there in 2007(?). We had a cap of 500 Soldiers there at any given time.

I think it changed where they had 0 there for a while but I know things have changed.

We have been over there fighting Abu Sayaf for a while.

 

[ShinkanPo]

Let’s see Duterte try to limit the amount of American military that can enter...let’s see how he handles Filipino sovereignty without big daddy America pushing China back

The thing with Dutz and some of his cronnies is they are openly pro China and would really jizz their panties if indeed the Philippines loses its sovereignity to the Chinese.

 

[Arkain2K]

Philippines' Duterte moves to terminate Visiting Forces Sgreement with US
The president had threatened to end the 1999 agreement after the US government cancelled the visa of a political ally.
February 7, 2020

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte plans to order the termination of the country's visiting forces agreement with the United States, his spokesman said Friday.

Presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo said Duterte was also scheduled to speak to US President Donald Trump at "any time," but the agenda was not clear.

"I will instruct the executive secretary to tell the foreign secretary to send the notice of termination to the US government," Panelo quoted Duterte as saying.

It was not clear when the notice would be sent.

Last month, the president threatened to end the 1999 Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) after the US government cancelled a tourist visa issued to Senator Ronald Dela Rosa, the former national police chief and close political ally of Duterte.

"I'm warning you ... if you won't do the correction on this, I will terminate the ... Visiting Forces Agreement. I'll end that son of a b****," the brash-speaking Duterte said in a January 23 speech.

Dela Rosa implemented Duterte's crackdown against illegal drugs, which has left thousands of suspected drug users dead.

The agreement provided a framework for the temporary entry of US troops to the Philippines for joint training exercises with Filipino forces.

The pact can be terminated through written notice from either party, which would take effect in 180 days.

Millions in US security assistance

At the end of last year, Duterte had also ordered a ban on US senators from entering the Philippines.

That was in response to the US doing the same against Filipino officials who played a role in the detention of opposition Senator Leila De Lima, a staunch critic of the president's campaign against illegal drugs.

The president has barred his cabinet officials from travelling to the US and turned down an invitation to join a special meeting with Trump and leaders of the Association of Southeast Asia Nations in March.

A separate defence pact subsequently signed by the allies in 2014, the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement, allowed the extended stay of US forces and authorised them to build and maintain barracks and warehouses and store defence equipment and weapons inside five designated Philippine military camps.

But terminating the VFA would affect more than 300 joint trainings and other activities this year alone with US forces "which the Philippine military and law enforcement agencies need to enhance their capabilities in countering threats to national security," according to Dutertes' Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr.

The US provided more than $550m in security assistance to the Philippines from 2016 to 2019, Locsin said, adding that there may be a "chilling effect on our economic relations" if the Philippines draws down its security alliance with Washington.

US forces have provided intelligence, training and aid that allowed the Philippines to deal with human trafficking, cyberattacks, illegal narcotics and terrorism, Locsin said, citing how US military assistance helped Filipino forces quell a disastrous siege by armed fighters aligned with the ISIL (ISIS) armed group in the southern city of Marawi in 2017.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020...s-terminate-defence-pact-200208020944899.html

 

[Arkain2K]

Philippine Foreign Secretary defends US pact after Duterte threat
By JIM GOMEZ | February 6, 2020

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — The Philippine foreign secretary warned Thursday that abrogating a security accord with Washington would undermine his country’s security and foster aggression in the disputed South China Sea.

The warning came after President Rodrigo Duterte threatened last month to give notice to the U.S. to terminate the Visiting Forces Agreement, which allows American forces to train in the Philippines, if the reported cancellation of the visa of his political ally, Sen. Ronald dela Rosa, was not corrected within a month.

“I’m warning you ... if you won’t do the correction on this, I will terminate the ... Visiting Forces Agreement. I’ll end that son of a bitch,” the brash-speaking Duterte said in a Jan. 23 speech.

Dela Rosa served as Duterte’s first national police chief and enforcer of the president’s deadly anti-drugs crackdown in 2016. Thousands of mostly poor suspects have been killed under the campaign, alarming the U.S. and other Western governments and human rights watchdogs.

Dela Rosa and later Duterte have said Dela Rosa’s visa was canceled, but U.S. officials have not addressed the matter.

Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. used a televised Senate hearing to enumerate what he described as crucial security, trade and economic benefits the accord provides. The U.S. is a longtime treaty ally, a major trading partner and the largest development aid provider to the Philippines.

“While the Philippines has the prerogative to terminate the VFA anytime, the continuance of the agreement is deemed to be more beneficial to the Philippines compared to any predicates were it to be terminated,” Locsin said.

The accord, known by its acronym VFA, took effect in 1999 to provide legal cover for the entry of American forces to the Philippines for joint training with Filipino troops.

A separate defense pact subsequently signed by the allies in 2014, the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement, allowed the extended stay of U.S. forces and authorized them to build and maintain barracks and warehouses and store defense equipment and weapons inside five designated Philippine military camps.

Terminating the VFA would affect more than 300 joint trainings and other activities this year with U.S. forces “which the Philippine military and law enforcement agencies need to enhance their capabilities in countering threats to national security,” Locsin said.

The U.S. provided more than $550 million in security assistance to the Philippines from 2016 to 2019, Locsin said, adding that there may be a “chilling effect on our economic relations” if the Philippines draws down its security alliance with Washington.

American forces have provided intelligence, training and aid that allowed the Philippines to deal with human trafficking, cyberattacks, illegal narcotics and terrorism, Locsin said, citing how U.S. military assistance helped Filipino forces quell a disastrous siege by Islamic State group-aligned militants in southern Marawi city in 2017.

U.S. military presence has also served as a deterrent to aggressive actions in the disputed South China Sea, Locsin said.

China, the Philippines, Vietnam and three other governments have rival claims to the strategic waterway.

Duterte first threatened to abrogate the VFA in late 2016 after a U.S. aid agency put on hold funds for anti-poverty projects in the Philippines. The 74-year-old leader, who has been harshly critical of U.S. policies while often praising China and Russia, has walked back on his public threats before.

Aside from threatening to take down the VFA, Duterte has said would ban some U.S. senators from entering the Philippines. He apparently was referring to American senators who sought to ban unspecified Philippine officials from entering the U.S. for their role in the continued detention of Phillippines opposition Sen. Leila de Lima, a vocal critic of Duterte’s deadly campaign against illegal drugs.

Duterte has publicly accused de Lima of receiving money from drug traffickers and called for her detention. De Lima has dismissed the allegations as fabricated charges designed to muzzle dissent under Duterte.

Duterte has also barred his Cabinet officials from traveling to the U.S. and turned down an invitation by President Donald Trump to join a special meeting the U.S. leader will host for leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in March in Las Vegas, according to presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo.

https://apnews.com/4404cae9d2eb241ec1f6b141c91f60fb

 

[7437]

Let’s see Duterte try to limit the amount of American military that can enter...let’s see how he handles Filipino sovereignty without big daddy America pushing China back

He is actively pro china.

 

[ShinkanPo]

He is actively pro china.

Yes he is and even his common public suporters.

The thing is though the US invites hundreds of Philippine Military officials in the US for "training".

And we all know how the corrupt officials of 3rd werld countries love to buy properties in the US etc.

And with the ongoing flu pandemic I am not sure those officials would be happy to go to China instead if Tromp ends Military assistance to the Philippines.

There is also a certain Philippine Senator who scored big wins in Vegas I wonder how he will like it if he also gets barred.

 

[Arkain2K]

Philippines Tells U.S. It Will End Military Cooperation Deal
The notice comes as President Rodrigo Duterte has been warming up to China and increasingly distancing Manila from the United States, its longtime ally.
By Jason Gutierrez | Feb. 11, 2020https://www.nytimes.com/by/jason-gutierrez​

MANILA — The Philippines said Tuesday it had officially informed the United States that it was scrapping a military pact that has given the longtime American ally a security blanket for the past two decades.

The notice to terminate the pact, the Visiting Forces Agreement, comes as President Rodrigo Duterte has warmed up to China while distancing himself from the United States, the Philippines’ former colonial ruler. The move also comes as the Philippines has shown increasing reluctance to stand up to China over its territorial claims in the South China Sea.

The agreement lets the United States rotate its forces through Philippine military bases. It has allowed for roughly 300 joint exercises annually between the American and Philippine militaries, said R. Clarke Cooper, the assistant secretary of state for political-military affairs. He told reporters Monday that the termination of the agreement would put those operations “at risk.”

The agreement still remains in force, but the notice to terminate it, delivered to the American Embassy in Manila, starts a clock under which it will remain in effect for 180 days before lapsing.

“The deputy chief of mission of the United States has received the notice of termination of the Visiting Forces Agreement,” Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin said on Twitter in announcing the move.



The decision by the Philippine government comes as Mr. Duterte has grown increasingly belligerent toward the United States, principally over Washington’s refusal to grant a visa to Senator Ronald dela Rosa, the early architect of Mr. Duterte’s violent war against drugs.

Mr. Duterte’s threats to end the pact have alarmed some in his own administration, who see the American military alliance as a bedrock of Philippine security and a counterweight to China’s growing naval might in the South China Sea.

Appearing before the Philippine Senate last week, Mr. Locsin cautioned against ending the pact, which has allowed for large-scale joint military exercises between the two allies after the American military was kicked out of the Subic and Clark naval bases north of Manila in the early 1990s over lease disagreements. The bases were once the largest American military installations outside the United States.

The foreign secretary said neither he nor the Philippine Department of National Defense was asked for advice on ending the pact. Without the agreement, Mr. Locsin said, the United States would have its hands tied in assisting the Philippines, its oldest military ally in Asia, should it come under attack.

In recent years, the United States has stepped up naval manuevers with the Philippines as it seeks to counter China’s growing challenge to the historic American naval dominance of the South China Sea. The frequency of those maneuvers has alarmed some in the Philippines, with the defense secretary, Delfin Lorenzana, warning last year that they could provoke conflict with China.

In addition to courting the Philippines, China has used its clout and economic might to bring other Southeast Asian countries into its sphere of influence, including Cambodia, which American officials fear is being turned by Beijing into a military outpost for Chinese ambitions.

Many Philippine military leaders and politicians favor sticking with the joint forces treaty, and lawmakers have said that ending the country’s participation in the agreement would require the Senate’s assent.

Mr. Locsin, the foreign secretary, said the Visiting Forces Agreement enabled Philippine troops to receive much-needed training on nontraditional threats such as combating illegal drugs and terrorism.

The United States played a pivotal role in aiding Philippine forces in their defeat of Islamist militants who took over the southern city of Marawi in 2017.

But Mr. Duterte, a leader known for his volatility and for making threats he often does not carry out, seems intent this time on bucking the United States.

On Monday night, he again lashed out at America and its military, saying Washington had always gotten the better end of the deal. He said that after large-scale war games, the American troops just go home, taking their modern weapons with them.

“They do not leave it with us. None,” Mr. Duterte said. “Besides, if you buy, it is expensive.”

“Trump and others are trying to save the Visiting Forces Agreement,” he added of the American president. “I told them, I do not want to. One is that Americans are very ill mannered,” he said, cursing Central Intelligence Agency agents who he said may be listening to him.

He also dismissed the deterrent effect of American forces against outside influences like China.

“They do not mean harm,” he said of China and its military, as long as “we do not also do something that is harmful to them.”

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/11/world/asia/philippines-united-states-duterte.html