6 senators backpedal on resolution urging Duterte to rethink VFA termination

Six senators, all allies of President Rodrigo Duterte, have changed their minds about backing a resolution urging the chief executive to reconsider abrograting the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) with the United States.

On Tuesday, as Duterte, through the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), sent notice to the US that he wanted to end the VFA, the six senators manifested in plenary that they are changing their votes from "yes" to abstention.

The senators are Imee Marcos, Francis Tolentino, Pia Cayetano, Cynthia Villar, Bong Go and Ramon “Bong” Revilla, Jr. 

Senator Ronald "Bato" dela Rosa earlier abstained.  The US move to cancel his US Visa purportedly because of his involvement in the administration's war on drugs triggered Duterte's action on the VFA.

Senate Resolution No. 312 was adopted in plenary on Monday afternoon via viva voce.  the measure asked the President to reconsider his plan to withdraw from the defense treaty 'in the meantime that the Senate is conducting a thorough review of the same."

On Tuesday, Marcos made a motion to reconsider her yes vote to the resolution, claiming that she was not aware that a voting took place on Monday.

“The passage of the Resolution was without our knowledge, we were not aware that the vote was in fact taken,” Marcos said.

Sotto contradicted her, saying that the motion to adopt Resolution 312 was made on the plenary floor and all senators present, including Marcos, did not register their objection when asked if there is any one opposed to its adoption.

“All those who were counted for the adoption of the Resolution are those who answered the roll call,” Sotto said.

“That is not the fault of the leadership of the Senate. Why did you not object?  Senator dela Rosa abstained. If you were in the hall, you should have objected,” Sotto said.

Marcos tried to reason out that she was not aware of the vote because they were only eight Senators in the plenary hall at that point, meaning there is no quorum or enough attendance to put the resolution into a vote.

Sotto said that per Senate rules, quorum at the opening of the session remains until someone questions it.

“If no one questions the quorum after the roll call, there is an implication that there is a quorum. Somebody should have questioned the quorum,” Sotto said.

Senate Majority Leader Miguel Zubiri agreed with Sotto and added that the Senate rules only allow for the reconsideration of the adoption of a Resolution within two session days since it was adopted, not a reconsideration or changing of the vote.

Marcos conceded and instead made a manifestation.

“I would like to put a manifestation that had I been aware of the motion to adopt the Resolution, I would have abstained because I have an alternate Resolution 306 which makes no advisement or pressure on the President since he has a free hand in crafting foreign policy,” Marcos said.

Marcos’ stance was echoed by the other five senators.

Sotto said that seven abstentions would still not have changed the outcome of the Resolution 312 since 20 senators were registered as affirmative votes, the ones who responded to the roll call at the start of the session.

The VFA, which entered into force in 1999 after being ratified by the Philippine
Senate, allows US troops to train and advise the Philippine military in disaster
response and the fight against terrorists but bans US forces in combat operations. —LDF, GMA News