PHL-US ties now 'lukewarm' —Palace

Malacañang on Friday said the relationship between the Philippines and the United States has become “lukewarm” following President Rodrigo Duterte’s decision to terminate the Visiting Forces Agreement.

“Maybe we can say that it’s not as warm as before. It’s lukewarm,” presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo told reporters when asked to describe the status of the relationship between Manila and Washington.

Duterte ordered the termination of the VFA after the US canceled the visa of his close ally Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa, the former chief implementer of the Philippines’ war on drugs, which had earned criticism from some American legislators over alleged human rights abuses.

A former colony of the US, the Philippines, under Duterte, warned the US against meddling with the local judicial system after the US Senate backed the proposal to impose sanctions against Filipino officials involved in the imprisonment of opposition Senator Leila de Lima.

An amendment to the US budget law, meanwhile, denies US entry to those involved in De Lima’s continued detention.

In October last year, Duterte told a forum in Russia that for years the foreign policy of the Philippines was tailored to that of the US.

Duterte also said that while he was not against the US or the Western world, he opted to embark on an independent foreign policy by reaching out to all nations that extend their hand of friendship to the Philippines with mutual respect and without preconditions.

His foreign policy has so far been marked with increased engagements with Russia and China, two nations with economic and military rivalries with the US. —KBK, GMA News