The Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) between the United States and Philippines has been featuring in most newspapers as word leaks about some of the agreements concerning the document. Senator Joker Arroyo has let loose a well kept secret document signed on Oct 9, 1998 by then US Ambassador to the Philippines Thomas C. Hubbard and Foreign Secretary Siazon Jr. who is currently the Philippine Ambassador to Japan. The VFA was ratified by the Philippine Senate in 1999.

The gist of the secret agreement is that American soldiers who commit a crime in the Philippines will be detained in a US embassy or penal facility. However, a Philippine soldier who commits a crime in US soil will be detained in penal institutions of the United States with the Philippines only having the choice of picking the prison where the Filipino soldier may be detained.

The reason for the sudden interest in the VFA concerns the high profile case of Filipino rape victim “Nicole” by Lance Cpl. Daniel Smith who is continuously detained as the US Embassy.

Immediate transfer of Lance Cpl. Daniel Smith from the US Embassy is being called for by some cause-oriented groups to the Supreme Court. Included in those who filed the petition are “Nicole”, Bagong Alyansang Makabayan, Bayan Muna, Gabriela and a few more. According to them, the continued detention of Lance Cpl. Daniel Smith at the US Embassy is equivalent to him being exempted from Philippine penal law.

Meanwhile, Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago has announced that she will be seeking renegotiation of the Visiting Forces Agreement between the US and Philippines. The senator bravely added that if the US rejects renegotiation, then the agreement should be scrapped altogether.

According to Senator Joker Arroyo, Philippines “have not learned how to walk” because of the centuries of the dependence on the US. “It’s time we got up unaided.”