Door not shut for saving U.S.-Philippines defence pact - envoy

By Karen Lema
MANILA, Feb 28 (Reuters) - A U.S.-Philippines troop
agreement recently scrapped by President Rodrigo Duterte could
still be salvaged, a senior diplomat said on Friday, boosting
hopes in both countries of retaining one of Asia's oldest
military alliances.
Talks were taking place to find a solution, but the alliance
would prevail, recognising the importance of the United States
as a global power, said Jose Manuel Romualdez, Philippine
ambassador to Washington.
"From what I'm told, the door is not totally shut," he told
a forum.
Romualdez said both countries were looking at how they can
"polish" and "improve" the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA), with
a Philippines troop pact with Australia and a similar agreement
in the works with Japan possible templates.
The mercurial Duterte caused a stir earlier this month by
serving notice of the VFA's termination, demonstrating his fury
over the rescinding of a U.S. travel visa for his former police
chief due to human rights concerns by some U.S. lawmakers.
The VFA, which would end in August, provides rules for the
rotation of thousands of American troops in and out of the
Philippines for war games and scores of annual exercises.
His opponents were outraged at what they saw as a show of
petulance, and some lawmakers who typically side with Duterte
urged him to reconsider a move that could weaken an
under-resourced military stretched constantly by natural
disasters and Maoist and Islamist rebellions.
Philippine efforts to protect the alliance underscore
contrasting opinions within the Duterte administration and
legislature about his foreign policy trajectory, especially over
his openly hostile approach towards the United States, where
relatives of millions of Filipinos live.
Absent free movement of U.S. personnel, experts say two
other joint defence agreements would be meaningless and efforts
to procure and operate U.S. defence hardware could become
difficult.
It would also reduce Washington's options in the Pacific
region, with complications over a longstanding U.S. troop
presence in Japan and South Korea, and only limited engagements
for the U.S. military elsewhere in Southeast Asia.
The other source of foreign policy friction in the
Philippines is Duterte's fondness for China, which many
Filipinos view with scepticism due to a history of perceived
maritime encroachments.
Retired supreme court judge Antonio Carpio, a staunch critic
of China's efforts to dominate in the South China Sea, said
maintaining defence ties with the United States were vital to
keeping Beijing in check.
"The only ally we can hope to deter China is the U.S," he
told the forum.

(Writing by Martin Petty and Karen Lema; Editing by Mark
Potter)