Philippines, US defense chiefs discuss South China Sea, VFA

Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana and US Defense Secretary Lloyd  J. Austin III discussed issues related to the South China Sea during their bilateral meeting on Friday, the Department of National Defense has said.

In a statement, the DND said the two Defense chiefs also tackled developments in the Indo-Pacific region as well as the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA).

“Aside from boosting security ties and defense cooperation between the two countries,  the defense secretaries discussed the VFA, developments in the  South China Sea and the Indo-Pacific region as well as the fight against COVID-19,” the DND said.

Lorenzana and Austin held a bilateral meeting in Camp General Emilio Aguinaldo during the two-day official visit of the US defense chief to the Philippines from July 29 to 30.

“The bilateral ministerial meeting we held this morning served as a platform to discuss  the way ahead for the Philippines-US alliance, based on the current priorities of our respective  administrations,” he said.

“It underscored the significance of the bilateral defense relations between the  Philippines and the US, in light of new and re-emerging challenges that confront our nations,” he added.

Lorenzana also announced that President Rodrigo Duterte decided to retract the notice of termination of the VFA, after the meeting of the commander-in-chief with Austin Thursday night.

The Philippines sent an official letter of termination of the VFA to the US on February 11, 2020.

In November 2020, Duterte suspended the abrogation of the agreement amid lingering tensions with China in the disputed South China Sea. —NB, GMA News