No plans of traveling to US: Guevarra

MANILA — Department of Justice (DOJ) Secretary Menardo Guevarra on Thursday said he has no qualms about President Rodrigo Duterte’s directive prohibiting Cabinet members from traveling to the United States.

Speaking to newsmen, Guevarra said the President’s order prohibiting Cabinet secretaries from traveling to the US “has no personal impact” on him who has “no plans of visiting the US even if (he) has a subsisting visa”.

Guevarra said he believes the President’s order applies only to the Cabinet secretaries, as they are symbolically his alter egos, but not to other subordinate department officials who may have important official business to attend in the US, such as attending United Nations conferences.

“The policy will most likely be to limit the travel of these subordinate executive officials to the most important, urgent, and (non-transferrable) official events or transactions,” Guevarra said.

Malacañang earlier said the travel ban as a “protest” against Washington DC’s supposed attempts to interfere with Manila’s domestic affairs.

Duterte earlier declined US President Donald Trump’s invitation to attend a summit with Southeast Asian leaders in Las Vegas on March 4, following an amendment to the US 2020 budget, which authorizes US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to bar Philippine government officials involved in Senator Leila de Lima’s “wrongful detention” from entering the US.

On Wednesday, Duterte reiterated that the termination of the 22-year-old Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) between the Philippines with the United States (US) will push through.

Duterte earlier threatened to scrap the agreement if the United States fails to correct the cancelation of Senator Ronald dela Rosa’s visa within a month.