Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte asked Philippine Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin to send a notice of termination to the US Government on February 10, Panelo said.
Speaking at a press conference on February 11, Panelo quoted Duterte as saying that the Philippines needs to strengthen its own capability as a country relative to the defence of its land.
Duterte decided to scrap the VFA after the US cancelled the US visa of Senator Ronald Dela Rosa, Duterte's longtime aide, over Dela Rosa's role in the war on drugs when he was Philippine National Police chief.
The Philippines and the US signed the VFA in 1998, allowing joint Philippine-US military operations. The Philippine Senate ratified the agreement in 1999, seven years after the closure of the last US base on Philippine territory.
According to the agreement, the termination will officially take effect after 180 days – the time for relevant negotiations of the two sides.
