Only SC can stop VFA, says Zamboanga City councilor

ZAMBOANGA CITY – A temporary restraining order (TRO) from the Supreme Court is needed to stop the implementation of the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA), which has virtually allowed the presence of US military forces, according to a lawyer turned local legislator here.

Councilor Juan Kim Elago II said only the high court can stop the VFA, just like the TRO against the signing of the memorandum of agreement on ancestral domain between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

“To stop the VFA somebody has to file a petition like the TRO on the MOA, but the question is who will file it and whether the Supreme Court will give merit to junking the VFA,” Elago said.

He also slammed Vice Mayor Manuel Mannix Dalipe, who wants to formalize the presence of American troops instead of merely using the VFA as a reason for their stay.

Dalipe said the six-year presence of the US troops under the pretext of the VFA gave the impression of permanency.

Elago, however, said the idea of Dalipe to formalize the stay of the US troops will not be accommodated because it will violate the Constitution.

“The one who crafted the VFA was very skillful. It did not fall square on the provision. The VFA is one way of circumventing the constitutional provision regarding the setting up of foreign military base in our country,” he said.

Currently, US troops under the Joint Special Operations Task Force-Philippines (JSOTF-P) have a camp inside Western Mindanao Command (Westmincom) in Camp Don Basilio Navarro.

Similar stations have been established in Sulu and in Camp Awang in Cotabato.