Philippines says it wonࢀ™t end US military access agreement amid South China Sea tensions

The Philippines has reversed its decision to end an important military agreement with the United States as territorial tensions with China heat up in the South China Sea . President Rodrigo Duterte had decided to retain the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) ࢀœin light of the political and other developments in the region,ࢀ said Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. in a social media post Tuesday. The agreement, signed in 1988, gives US military aircraft and vessels free entry into the Philippines and relaxes visa restrictions for US military personnel. The Philippine government gave the US 180 daysࢀ™ notice to…