MANILA, Philippines—The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) is in a tight spot again amid a demand by President Rodrigo Duterte for Washington to pay more if it wanted to keep the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA).
A day after Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said in a television interview last week that the defense and military establishment are largely supportive of the VFA to continue, Duterte said the US should pay more if it wanted to maintain the agreement. Duterte had unilaterally cancelled the VFA in 2020 in retaliation for the revocation of the US visa of one of his closest allies, Sen. Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa.
“I’d like to put on notice if there is…
Keep on reading: AFP in a bind, again, after Duterte demand for US payment to keep VFA