THE most compelling reason I supported President Rodrigo Duterte aka Digong after he launched his candidacy for president in December 2016 was his vow to get rid of foreign troops and military bases in this country. EDCA provides for, among other things, the stationing of US troops on rotation basis inside Philippine military bases (five have been reportedly identified). – US President Donald Trump, in reaction to the VFA termination said, “If they would like to do that, that’s fine, we’ll save a lot of money.” — That’s vintage Trump. No less than President Digong knows this, that is why he said we should begin to rely on ourselves alone. – Why do some people and institutions contend that scrapping our military alliance with the US would be bad and would mean “subservience” to China?

Source: Manila Times February 17, 2020 19:41 UTC