Duterte Threatens "If Vaccines Are Not Provided, U.S. Troops Must Leave"

President Duterte of the Philippines [EPA=Yonhap News Archive Photo] [Image Source = Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Eun-young] Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte warned that if the United States does not provide COVID-19 vaccines, the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA), which serves as the basis for joint military exercises between the two countries, will be terminated, and U.S. troops will have to leave.

According to local media such as the Manila Bulletin on the 27th, President Duterte said the previous night, "The VFA (Visiting Forces Agreement, which allows U.S. troops to train and participate in joint exercises in the country) will soon be terminated," adding, "If I do not agree to the agreement, they (U.S. troops) must leave the Philippines."

He continued, "If the U.S. does not provide at least 20 million doses of vaccines, it is better for them to leave," and said, "If they do not provide vaccines, they cannot stay here."

Previously, the Philippines signed the VFA in 1998, which stipulates the rights and obligations of U.S. troops entering the country for training and other purposes, and since then, annual joint military exercises such as 'Balikatan' have been conducted in the Philippines.

However, in February of this year, the Philippines unilaterally notified the U.S. of the termination of the VFA, and the agreement was scheduled to officially end in August after a 180-day grace period.

But President Duterte twice notified the U.S. in June and November to halt the termination process, so the agreement is expected to be maintained until the first half of 2021.

President Duterte's mention of the VFA while pressuring the U.S. for vaccine supply appears to be based on concerns that the local situation could worsen due to rising tensions in the South China Sea and the emergence of the U.K. COVID-19 variant.

Meanwhile, as of the previous day, the Philippines has a cumulative total of 467,601 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 9,062 deaths, making it the country with the second highest number of COVID-19 cases in Southeast Asia after Indonesia. On the 23rd, the Philippines also suspended all flights from the U.K. to block the spread of the U.K. variant of the coronavirus.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.