THIS piece was written before President Rodrigo “Digong” Duterte made his ludicrous statement that the United States “will have to pay” if it wants to keep the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA), which he earlier ordered abrogated.

If the VFA is not abrogated, it would mean simply that US troops and military bases will remain on Philippine soil. If they do, it would also mean that we become a target for China in case of an armed conflict with the US…plain and simple! And no amount of payment by the US for the VFA in the form of more war materiel as broached by Digong’s “tweeterboy” of a Foreign secretary will prevent that.