Philippines鈥� Duterte says Trump deserves to be re-elected

Donald Trump said he did not mind Duterte鈥檚 decision to end the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA). (File/AFP)
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  • Washington has described the relationship between the two countries as 鈥渋ron-clad鈥�
  • Trump has said that the United States helped the Philippines defeat Daesh militants

MANILA: Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said on Saturday that Donald Trump deserved to be re-elected, praising the US president鈥檚 reaction to his decision to end a decades-old military agreement with the United States.
Trump said on Wednesday he did not mind Duterte鈥檚 decision to end the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) even as his defense secretary, Mark Esper, called the move 鈥渦nfortunate鈥� as Washington and its allies press China to abide by 鈥渋nternational rules鈥� in Asia.
鈥淚t is President Trump鈥檚 circumspect and judicious reaction to the termination of the VFA that made President Duterte give the following remarks: 鈥楶resident Trump is a good president and he deserves to be re-elected鈥�,鈥� presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo said in a statement.
The VFA is important to the overall US-Philippines alliance and sets out rules for US soldiers operating in the Philippines, a former US territory.
Washington has described the relationship between the two countries as 鈥渋ron-clad,鈥� despite Duterte鈥檚 complaints that include allegations of US hypocrisy and ill-treatment.
Trump has frequently expressed a desire to bring US military forces home from decades-long deployments abroad and has strong-armed some allies into paying more for the right to US defense.
Trump has said that the United States helped the Philippines defeat Daesh militants.
In his comments about the VFA on Wednesday, Trump added that he had 鈥渁 very good鈥� relationship with Duterte.
Duterte鈥檚 decision, sparked by the revocation of a US visa held by a former police chief who led his bloody war on drugs, could complicate US military interests in the Asia-Pacific region as China鈥檚 ambitions rise.
The firebrand leader, who favors closer ties with China and Russia, has said it was time for the Philippines to be militarily independent.
Some Philippine lawmakers hope the VFA can be saved in the 180 days before the termination takes effect, and expressed concern that without it, two other US military agreements will become useless.