Last Saturday, December 26, President Rodrigo Duterte threatened the United States that he will end the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) unless they supply the Philippines with COVID-19 vaccines.
According to Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque, the threat made by the president was only being true to his foreign independent policy.
With him blurting out threats, celebrities and personalities couldn’t help but voice out their two-cents regarding the latest warning from the president of the Philippines.
Senator Kiko Pangilinan shared his opinion regarding the ones President Duterte should have threatened—China. The country which supposedly the ally of the Philippines as per President Rodrigo Duterte is selling expensive, inferior vaccines.
Perhaps our citizens would be better off if he instead threatened China not to sell us more expensive yet less than effective or inferior vaccines. https://t.co/MHQk9z4XpV
— Kiko Pangilinan (@kikopangilinan) December 27, 2020
Others considered his threats as empty. For Blogger Cocoy Dayao, threatening one of the most powerful countries in the world is a poor choice for negotiating. He also added that the termination of the VFA is not the loss of the US, but the Philippines.
Duterte’s threat to cancel VFA is empty. It is poor negotiating point. In 18 months there will be a new PH President. US can wait it out.
No VFA is a loss to the Philippines, not the US. INDOPAC has a new island base off Japan. They have Guam, Vietnam & 1st Fleet could be in SG
— Cocoy Dayao (@cocoy) December 27, 2020
Investigative journalist Raissa Robles questioned the threat of the president and its apparent ‘connections’ to the VFA.
Why is Duterte tying the VFA to the vaccines? Are the vaccine makers state-owned? https://t.co/eVsJtbbyA2
— Raissa Robles (@raissawriter) December 26, 2020
League of Filipino Students’ (LFS) National Spokesperson Carwyn Candila also shared the same thoughts with Robles as he also found the president’s threat empty. With the recent threat of terminating the VFA, Candila looked back on Duterte’s false promises way back in 2016 where he also promised to rescind it.
@LFSPhilippines finds this empty at least, incredibly unbelievable at best.
We've seen how Duterte has made false promises of abrogating the VFA since 2016. All of these, of course, have been found dead in a ditch.
Instead of abrogating the VFA, he has even pleased Trump… https://t.co/z6kfZDz61c
— Carwyn (@Carwyn_Candila) December 26, 2020
Meanwhile, Senator Ping Lacson considered the ‘upcoming’ discontinuance of the VFA is actually the way for the government to settle for the vaccine that China has developed, the SINOVAC. Considering the fact that it is far more expensive and inefficient than the other vaccines developed by US.
No vaccines no VFA! Treating the Americans like a bunch of yokels might have sealed our fate to settle for China’s Sinovac in lieu of the US made Pfizer BioNTech and Moderna vaccines.
— PING LACSON (@iampinglacson) December 28, 2020
Another politician condemned the action of the president as he made threats to a supposed ally of the Philippines. Senator Richard Gordon castigated the remark of the president as an inappropriate, mercenary, and indecent gesture who represents the Philippines to other countries.
National interest must be the only consideration for a VFA. “No vaccine No VFA threat “upon the US is totally inappropriate, mercenary & lessens the dignity of the Philippines.
— Richard J. Gordon (@DickGordonDG) December 28, 2020
Internet personality Betty O’hara criticized the action of President Duterte who considered SINOVAC over Pfizer when the former had issues in terms of efficiency. The personality also expressed her disgust in how Duterte fooling the Filipino people.
Ibabasura daw nya ang VFA pag di nagbigay ng bakuna ang US, sabi to ni D30.
Dapat ikaw ang ibasura !!
Ano ba ang ginawa mo sa Pfizer di ba binasura mo para paburan ang Sinovac na ngayon may issue dahil sa efficacy nito.Hanggang kailan mo paglalaruan ang mga filipino. Baliw!
— Betty O'hara (@heartofemmaus) December 27, 2020
Actor Alex Medina expressed his weariness over the President’s endless meaningless threats towards strong countries such as the US.
Pwesidente, ano nanamaaaan??? Pagod na kami puro na lang ganyan https://t.co/DCHny8rP1C
— Alex (@anakngartista) December 26, 2020
However, the fact that the president suspended the termination of the VFA for over a year clearly states that the threat blurted out by the leader of the Philippines is merely just for show.
Journalist Prinz Magtulis emphasized the warning of the stoppage of the agreement is far from being possible, only making the country a laughing stock.
You think the US cares?
Remember that it was President Duterte who initially wanted out of VFA. And also by his own volition, suspended the termination by 6 months, and then by another 6 months.
So yeah, this is an empty threat and more than that, we’re a laughing stock. https://t.co/LG5eGy9hV8
— Prinz Magtulis 프린즈 (@prinzmagtulis) December 26, 2020
Meanwhile, the government used US soldier Pemberton’s pardon as a debt to be paid through COVID-19 vaccines.
This was pointed out by Museum Researcher at the National Historical Commission of the Philippines Kristoffer Pasion as news came out that Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque claimed that the president used the death of Jennifer Laude as a bargaining chip to get vaccines.
What’s bothersome here was not that he used to be Jennifer Laude’s lawyer, but that the worth of a single Filipino life is so cheap for the Duterte administration that Laude is used as bargaining chip for a vaccine that’s supposed to be our right as citizens to get. https://t.co/8E4RIHwgax
— Kristoffer Pasion (@indiohistorian) December 28, 2020
Last February, Duterte ordered the abrogation of the VFA after the US revoked the visa of senator Ronald Dela Rosa, a close aide of the president. However, Duterte suspended the VFA termination for 6 monthsdue to COVID-19, and extended the suspension by another 6 months.
