VFAcom head admits Congress can absorb its functions

The head of the commission overseeing the implementation of the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) with the US called on the Senate yesterday to absorb the oversight functions of the body should plans to abolish the office push through.

Zosimo Paredes, executive director of the VFA Commission (VFAcom), said the Legislative Oversight Committee on the Visiting Forces Agreement (LOVFA) of the Senate can absorb the functions of the office once it is abolished.

He said the VFAcom’s functions could also be farmed out to other government agencies.

"They can make do without the Commission but its functions will be given to some agencies. The functions can be given to LOVFA or the DFA Office of American Affairs (OAA)," Paredes said.

Paredes, however, pointed out the VFAcom was created through a Senate resolution to oversee the implementation of the VFA.

Paredes made the statement after the government apparently moved to replace him and reorganize the VFAcom following its failure to take custody of four US Marines accused of raping a Filipina last November.

Paredes had said he was ready to be replaced following the custody fiasco.

A senior Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) official had disclosed the plans to draft an executive order that would create another office to replace the VFAcom.

Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto Romulo, chairman of the VFAcom, revealed the government’s intention to abolish the commission on the recommendation of LOVFA.

"There is already a policy decision and the President concurred. We are awaiting the President to order the implementation of the policy," DFA spokesman Gilberto Asuque said.

Asuque added the objective of the reorganization and strengthening of the VFAcom will be done through the creation of a new entity to ensure effective monitoring on the ground as well as close coordination and liaison with the LOVFA.

Paredes irked members of the oversight committee with his allegedly "inconsistent" positions regarding the rape case and implementing the provisions of the VFA.

The oversight committee believes the VFA is lopsided in favor of the US since it allows American troops charged with crimes while here on military exercises to remain in US custody until legal proceedings are completed.

This resulted in the committee’s resolution recommending to Congress that the VFA be abrogated in order to renegotiate a new agreement.

Sen. Miriam Santiago, who co-chairs the committee, pointed out the VFA had failed to include a renegotiation or revision clause that is present in similar agreements entered into by the United States with other countries.

She also threatened to slash the budget of VFAcom to P1 for its failure to properly uphold the country’s interest in the VFA surrounding the controversial rape case.

Santiago slammed Paredes for acting like the head and spokesperson of the VFAcom before the media. She reminded Paredes that the VFAcom is headed by the secretary of foreign affairs.

Paredes, however, claimed he had yet to feel the crunch of the P1 budget proposed by Santiago for VFAcom.

"I do not feel it yet. I can still move around to monitor military exercises," he said.

He said VFAcom received early this month a P1-million supplemental budget from the Office of the President (OP) sourced from the presidential fund last December to monitor the rape case.

"I got P1 million for this case. The OP released that early this month," he said.