Duterte orders VFA notice of termination sent to US gov't – Palace

President Rodrigo Duterte made good on his earlier threat to end the Visiting Forces Agreement on Friday night by ordering a notice of termination sent to the US government.

"President Duterte is instructing Executive Secretary [Salvador] Medialdea to tell Foreign Affairs Secretary [Teodoro] Locsin to send the notice of termination to the US government," said Presidential Salvador Panelo.

"President Duterte is also scheduled to talk with President Trump anytime. The agenda is not clear. [It’s] not clear who initiated the impending talk. I’ll ask him [Duterte]," added the President's spokesperson.

Duterte earlier said he would terminate the VFA if the US would not restore the canceled visa of Senator Ronald "Bato" Dela Rosa, one of his closest allies.

Ratified by the Philippine Senate in 1999, the VFA allowed US troops to train and advise the Philippine military in disaster response and anti-terrorist operations, but banned US forces from participating in combat operations.

The VFA would be deemed terminated upon a party's written notice of its intention to end the agreement, which becomes effective after 180 days from such notification. — Virgil Lopez/DVM, GMA News