Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana has committed to United States (US) Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin III that he will discuss the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) with President Rodrigo Duterte. Austin, on the other hand, said he would raise with the office concerned Lorenzana’s request to expedite the delivery of Moderna vaccines against coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19). These commitments were made during a telephone conversation between Lorenzana and Austin on Sunday, April 11, 2021, amid renewed tension between the Philippines and China in the West Philippine Sea (WPS). The conversation occurred ahead of the planned conduct of the US-Philippines joint Balikatan Exercise, the Department of National Defense (DND) said in a statement.

Philippines, US defense chiefs discuss maritime dispute. (2021, April 13). SunStar Bacolod, p. 2.