Scrap the VFA?

[Yatta]

did you know, that for a very brief period of time, sometime during the 300 years of spanish occupation, the british were the lords here?
they had beaten the spaniards and were occupying intramuros.
but because news and instructions traveled very slowly, as europe was so far away, for spanish and british both,
after some time, the british just upped and left.
i wonder, what would be the situation here now, had the brits stayed...

OT.

British control never extended beyond Manila. They left because those in Europe didn't know Manila was taken and therefore not included in British claims.

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[dr. d]

British control never extended beyond Manila. They left because those in Europe didn't know Manila was taken and therefore not included in British claims.

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that is correct.
but it is interesting, thinking of the possibilities...

[roninblade]

ehmmm... that's hardly correct. they took Manila because the Brits were part of the Seven Years War on the side of Prussia and Portugal against France and Spain (among other nations on both sides). They occupied Manila and Havana and left it as part of the peace settlement when the war ended.

[zechs]

that is correct.
but it is interesting, thinking of the possibilities...

Nag-Brexit na rin tayo kung ganun hehe

[CVT]

"i say, egan my dear.. may i use your loo..?"
heh heh.

so what name
new britain..
east britain..

New Notting Hill...

Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!

[madball]

Yep, Trump called his bluff. Now the potus get the last laugh and we all lose in this VFA issue.

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Not really. Trump was probably just playing it cool. The termination of the VFA is also a loss for US because it goes against the China containment strategy, and we know how serious Trump is about containing China (trade war).

Duterte's recent move is not just about Bato's visa. It could also be to force substantive renegotiations on the agreement, and if the Americans do not compromise, he and his allies could pull some strings and have the Supreme Court require Senate concurrence on the termination before it takes effect.
However, if Duterte's real intention is to sever ties with US and bring PH closer to China, then he should tread carefully. Most Filipinos are still pro-US and anti-China. If he does something drastic, it would be a political disaster for him.

[Ottoman]

pa OT

ayos naman ekonomiya natin nung panahon ng mga espanyol pangalawa sa japan.paris of asia pa nga, maski nung ww2 naka ahon naman nag ka lokoloko lang nung kay makoy hehe sick man of asia..

kung hindi umalis mga brits malamang yung mindanao bahagi na ng malaysia

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[Yatta]

Sinungaling talaga itong meyor na ito.

Palace: Duterte thinks Trump would’ve scrapped VFA too, wants US leader re-elected | News | GMA News Online

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[2lits17]

Sinungaling talaga itong meyor na ito.

Palace: Duterte thinks Trump would’ve scrapped VFA too, wants US leader re-elected | News | GMA News Online

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masanay ka na bro... wala kayo sa lolo ko. ganun yan mag kwento... its just disappointing that this statements is coming from our head of state.
kung secretary or si butiki lang ok pa.

[Flipo]

Not just pro-China, but anti-Filipino policies
By: Solita Collas-Monsod - *inquirerdotnetPhilippine Daily Inquirer / 05:06 AM February 15, 2020
For the record, I, Solita Collas-Monsod, Filipino, do register my vehement protest at the turn this government has taken, showing total subservience (brown-nosing is more like it) toward China, thus going against the express desires of the Filipino people and our national interest.

I cite three cases to prove my point.

Case # 1. The West Philippine Sea (WPS). The Philippines won an outstanding victory in the case against China in the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in the Netherlands. Remember, Reader, that China, using its nine-dash-line demarcation, claims (1) 80 percent of the Philippine Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) in the South China Sea—381,000 square kilometers of maritime space, and (2) 100 percent of our extended continental shelf (ECS)—over 150,000 sq km of maritime space.

The PCA ruled that there was no legal basis for China’s nine-dash line. But China does not accept the ruling, and the Duterte administration is tiptoeing around it for fear of displeasing China.

How much is the WPS worth? Crude expert estimates: $1-$1.5 trillion; for oil—$378 billion-$7 trillion; for natural gas (900 trillion cubic feet)—$2.07 trillion. For a total of $3.4 trillion-$10.6 trillion. To give perspective: Philippine GDP in 2018 was $330 billion.

The above estimates do not include the value of fisheries estimated at 7.9 million m.t. annually, or something like $15.8 billion. That is, in effect, what China steals from us because our fishermen are prevented from fishing there.

The above estimates also do not include the value of the methanol, which Justice Antonio Carpio estimates could fuel the Chinese economy for 130 years.

This is what is at stake in the WPS, which from appearances is being “shared” with China. That’s what this and future generations of Filipinos are losing. In contrast, President Duterte is grateful to China for its aid to us. His Beijing trip brought in a pledge of $9 billion in soft loans (including a $3 billion credit line). Over the Duterte regime, that would be $1.5 billion a year. Compare that with the $15.8 billion a year that China is stealing from us in fishing alone.

Case #2: The Visiting Forces Agreement termination. This agreement with the United States, ratified by the Philippine Senate, has been unilaterally terminated by the Duterte administration, and will end 180 days after the United States got the notice. The effect of this is that the Philippines is weakened further, and China is strengthened further. Our joint military exercises with the United States in the WPS will cease. Whatever impediment this imposed on China’s forays into Philippine territory will disappear.

Case #3: Banning travel to and from Taiwan as part of COVID-19. This is the most egregious example of Mr. Duterte’s brown-nosing China. This is a very sensitive issue between China and Taiwan, with China insisting on a one-country-two-systems policy and Taiwan not wanting any of it (they saw what happened and is happening to Macau and Hong Kong). Mr. Duterte’s banning travel to and from Taiwan (because he claims it is part of China) is wrong on every count except one: He just earned brownie points from China.

Understand, Reader, we are the only country that has banned travel to and from Taiwan. Moreover, as of 2:33 p.m. yesterday, China accounted for 99.1 percent of all COVID-19 cases. Taiwan accounts for 0.03 percent (Singapore, Japan, Thailand have more cases).

Furthermore, there are 154,000 Filipinos in Taiwan, most of them earning at least P38,000 a month. Why hurt our Filipinos who are working there? They probably get better care there than they will be able to get here.

The President has never given us a rational explanation for these moves. Not that I expect rationality from him, given his mental and physical state. But his underlings, who should know better, accept his decisions at face value, with the excuse that the President has more sources of information than they have, so they cannot possibly question his judgment. They, too, are irrational. And they do a disservice not only to him, but to the country as well.

These policies are not just pro-China, they are anti-Filipino. I protest.

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