SENATOR KIKO PANGILINAN CALLS ANEW FOR ABROGATION OF VFA

Senator Francis "Kiko" Pangilinan urges the Presidential Commission on the Visiting Forces Agreement to scrap the controversial agreement. Pangilinan filed a resolution calling for the abrogation of the VFA in the 14th Congress, saying in its present form the agreement is unconstitutional and counterproductive.

"We urge President Aquino to scrutinize the VFA. It would be best to abrogate it, and then draft a new agreement that is not one-sided."

Pangilinan says that the high-profile rape case against US Lance Corporal Daniel Smith and his eventual release to America already set a dangerous precedent, and as such a new agreement needs to be drafted.

"We support the call of President Aquino to have the VFA reviewed, but we urge the administration to take the next step. We believe that the matter should be raised during the President's official trip to the US come September, and that the initial discussions on the matter between their state department and our department of foreign affairs should begin."