The Justice department will submit to President Rodrigo Duterte within the week the consolidated assessment conducted by the Cabinet Cluster on security, justice and peace on the possible impact of the Philippine decision to terminate its Visiting Forces Agreement with the United States.
Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra made the disclosure on Sunday and added that the recommendations to Duterte would include the suggestion made by lawmakers for the government to subject the vising forces agreement to a comprehensive review.
Meanwhile, Senator Francis Tolentino rejected fears that an indefinite travel ban to the United States imposed on all Cabinet members would likely result in the severance of the ties between the two countries.
“Agreements are in place…trade agreements are in place…person to person, it’s there. I don’t foresee in the immediate future a great impact,” Tolentino said.
Some senators are inclined to subject the VFA to a review instead of immediately abrogating the 22-year-old agreement between the Philippines and the United States, its long-time ally.
“The Cabinet Cluster on Security, Justice and Peace has already met last Friday and it considered various options of dealing with the VFA, including what some Senators are presently considering, Guevarra said.
“The DOJ report will consolidate the assessment made by other concerned executive agencies. We have no direct information about the comments of the Senate, but coincidentally, the suggestion of some Senators to review, and not to terminate, the VFA happened to be one of the options considered by the Cabinet Cluster.”
But Guevarra said while he would submit the report in the next few days, it would not stop the other members of the Cabinet Cluster to come out with their own impact assessment reports on the VFA and submitting them to Duterte.
“I intend to submit this week. Other agencies may submit their own impact assessment separately, Guevarra said.
Besides the DOJ, the other members of the Cabinet Cluster on Justice, Security and Peace are the Department of National Defense, Armed Forces of the Philippines, Department of the Interior and Local Government, Philippine National Police, Department of Foreign Affairs, National Bureau of Investigation and the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency.
Guevarra earlier assured that they would be coming out with a fair impact assessment on the VFA with the US, and that they would consider the pros and cons of the executive decision.
“A firmer picture will come out after the top-level meeting of the Presidential Commission on Visiting Forces tomorrow [Monday], Guevarra said. With Macon Ramos-Araneta