Dela Rosa confirms

U.S. visa canceled

(UPDATED) 'Basta mag-apply lang daw ako uli kung gusto ko,
kasi the present visa was canceled,' says Senator Ronald dela
Rosa, the architect of the Duterte administration's drug war
MANILA, Philippines (UPDATED) – Senator Ronald "Bato" dela Rosa confirmed on
Wednesday, January 22, that his US visa has been canceled.

In December, Politiko reported that Washington revoked Dela Rosa's US visa as it

strengthened its crackdown on human rights violators. The senator was the architect
of the Duterte administration's bloody campaign against illegal drugs when he was
Philippine National Police chief.

Dela Rosa confirmed the cancellation of his US visa in a text message: "Yes. They
officially answered my official query."

The top-cop-turned-senator said he did not know the specific date when his visa was
canceled. It was supposed to expire in 2022.

"Basta mag-apply lang daw ako uli kung gusto ko, kasi the present visa was canceled
(I was told to just apply again if I want, because the present visa was cancelled),"
Dela Rosa said.

Dela Rosa led President Rodrigo Duterte's war on drugs when he was PNP chief from
July 2016 to April 2018. (READ: Duterte says his only 'sin' is extrajudicial killings)

According to the Philippine government tally, cops had killed at least 5,500 suspects
after allegedly "fighting back" during anti-drug operations.

Human rights groups, however, estimate the kill tally to be over 30,000, including
killings inspired by Duterte’s war on drugs.

In an interview with reporters, Dela Rosa on Wednesday said that he had inquired
about the status of his visa in December, and received a reply on January 20.
“I received their official answer the day before my birthday, January 20. What a good
birthday gift,” Dela Rosa said.

“[The letter was] informing me that my visa is no longer valid for travel to the United
States. Should I want to apply for another visa, I reapply subject to rules and
regulations,” he added.

Dela Rosa said that the reason for the revocation of his visa was not stated in the
letter.

Reapply for a US visa?

Dela Rosa said that he would apply for a US visa if President Rodrigo Duterte accepts
the invitation of US President Donald Trump to attend the US-Association of
Southeast Asian Nations Summit in Las Vegas in March, and if Duterte asks him to
join that trip.

“Titingnan ko kung pupunta si Presidente Duterte sa kanyang invitation ni Trump, just

in case pupunta siya at pasasamahin niya ako do’n, then I will apply (I will see if
President Duterte will accept Trump’s invitation, just in case he will go and ask me to
come with him, then I will apply)," Dela Rosa said.

Should he reapply, there are two US laws that sanction travel bans against human
rights violators.

The Asia Reassurance Initiative is a US law aimed at developing a “long-term

strategic vision and a comprehensive, multifaceted, and principled United States
policy for the Indo-Pacific region.” It gives power to the US president to “impose
targeted financial penalties and visa ban sanctions” to any individual or entity that
violates human rights or religious freedoms, or engages in censorship activities.
Then there’s the Global Magnitsky Act that imposes the same sanctions specifically
on human rights violators anywhere in the world.

The US Senate recently approved a resolution that invoked the Global Magnitsky Act
on those involved in the "wrongful" detention of Senator Leila de Lima and
extrajudicial killings in the Philippines.

Senate leaders urge Duterte:

Reconsider VFA abrogation
MANILA, Philippines — As a Senate panel prepares to begin its review of the
country’s military arrangements with the United States, three senators have filed a
resolution urging President Duterte to reconsider his plan to have the Visiting Forces
Agreement (VFA) revoked.

Senate President Vicente Sotto III, Minority Leader Franklin Drilon and Sen. Panfilo
Lacson jointly filed on Monday Resolution 312 expressing the sense of the Senate
on the need for Duterte to reconsider his plan to unilaterally withdraw from the VFA
with the US.

The filing of the resolution came two days before the scheduled review of the
security pact along with the 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT) and Enhanced
Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) with the US by the Senate committee on
foreign relations headed by Sen. Aquilino Pimentel III. The chamber will still have to
vote on the resolution.

“We concede that by constitutional fiat and by intrinsic nature of his office, the
President, as head of state, is the sole organ and authority in the externals affairs of
the country, being the chief architect of the nation’s foreign policy in the conduct of
the external affairs of the nation,” the resolution read.
“Fully recognizing the authority of the Chief Executive and without intending to
disrespect a co-equal body, prior to unilaterally terminating the VFA, the Senate
should be given the opportunity to conduct a review and assessment of the impact of
the withdrawal on the country’s security and economy, specifically with regard to
intelligence information sharing, military aid and financing, and technical assistance
extended by the US relative to the continuing threats posed by domestic and foreign
terrorist groups and, ultimately, to the stability and security in the Asia-Pacific
region,” it said.

The senators said as a policymaking body, the Senate should likewise give its view
and opinion on the repercussions of the scrapping of the VFA on the MDT and
EDCA.

They said a careful deliberation of the issue must be taken into account before
arriving at a final decision, which will ultimately affect not only the country’s security
and economy, but also that of other countries in the region.

The resolution seeks to express the sense of the Senate “to earnestly request the
President to reconsider his planned abrogation of the Visiting Forces Agreement in
the meantime that the Senate is conducting a review and impact assessment with
the end in view of ensuring the continued safety and security of the Philippines and
the Asia-Pacific, and maintain the existing balance of power within the region.”

President Duterte threatened to abrogate the VFA in response to the cancellation of

the US visa of Dela Rosa and to other events involving the country’s national
integrity and sovereignty, aggravated by a “series of disrespectful acts” of the United
States, as expressed by presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo.

In their resolution, the senators said they acknowledge the intrinsic nature of the
Office the President as the sole organ and authority in the external affairs of the
country.

The Philippines’ principal military agreement with the US is the MDT signed on Aug.
30, 1951. The US and the Philippines also forged the Military Bases Agreement on
March 14, 1947, formalizing, among others, the use of installations in Philippine
territory by US military personnel.

On May 27, 1999, the Senate ratified the Philippines’ and the US’s agreement on
VFA with the primary goal of facilitating the promotion of optimal cooperation
between US and Philippine military forces in the event of an attack by a common foe.

On April 28, 2014, the two countries signed the EDCA aimed at supplementing the
existing VFA through mutual cooperation in developing individual and collective
capacity to resist armed attacks.

In the resolution, the senators said the Senate should give its view and opinion on
the repercussions of a unilateral withdrawal of the VFA on the existing MDT and the
EDCA with the US.

“A careful deliberation of these matters must be taken into account before finally
arriving at a decision which will ultimately affect not only the security and economy of
the Philippines but also that of our neighboring countries in the Asia Pacific region,”
the resolution read.