Akbayan party-list Rep. Walden Bello on Monday filed a joint resolution calling for the termination of the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) with the United States, claiming the US is using the treaty to evade accountability for the crimes its soldiers are implicated in.
House Joint Resolution No. 19 cites as bases for the VFA’s termination the acts committed by US personnel on Philippine soil that are contrary to the 1987 Philippine Constitution, human rights standards, criminal statutes, and norms and standards concerning the protection and conservation of the environment.
“This is a resolution whose time has come. We’re happy to be together with the office of Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago in filing this,” Bello told reporters after filing the proposal.
Private First Class Joseh Scott Pemberton is facing a murder complaint in connection with the killing of Laude on Oct. 11 in Olongapo City. At present, Pemberton is detained in Camp Aguinaldo.
Other US violations
In his resolution, Bello enumerated the other supposed violations the US military has reportedly committed in the span of 15 years the VFA has been in place:
- the 2005 Subic rape case,
- the USS Guardian’s destruction of Tubbataha Reef, and
- the hazardous waste dumping by US Navy contractor Glen Defense Marine Asia.
Citing these incidents, Bello said it is clear “the VFA has not served the interests of the Philippines since its inception.”
“[T]here is a clear trend that the US government is not mindful in observing and respecting Philippine laws being violated by elements of its military visiting the Philippines,” he said. — RSJ, GMA News
