MANILA, Philippines — After voicing appreciation for Manila’s suspension of its termination of the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA), US National Security Adviser Robert O’Brien has requested for a longer suspension of at least a year, to allow further negotiations for a more acceptable security arrangement.

He expressed his wish yesterday at the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) after announcing the delivery of missiles promised in April by US President Donald Trump to President Duterte.

O’Brien said he was “very pleased” to receive a letter from Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. informing the US of the decision of the Philippine government to suspend the termination of the VFA for the second time or by another six months.

“It was specifically addressed to me and we are very pleased to receive that letter,” O’Brien said.

The US official said the suspension of termination of the VFA was a result of cooperation between the US and the Philippines and the warm relationship between Duterte and Trump.

“We obviously would like to see that longer and that’s something I spoke with Secretary Locsin about is that if we extend it further… so that we can have some negotiations to address the important concerns of both sides of the treaty and that agreement and that will be up against an artificial deadline. So we’re grateful for this six months,” O’Brien said at a press briefing. “We think it will be better if it is a year or longer.”

Duterte instructed Locsin to convey his decision to extend the suspension of the abrogation of the VFA by another six months, “to enable us to find a more enhanced, mutually beneficial, mutually agreeable and more effective and lasting arrangement on how to move forward in our mutual defense.”

The Philippines sent the US on Feb. 11 a notice of termination of the VFA, an essential agreement to ensure the effectiveness of the Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT).

“President Trump welcomed the six-month extension, the suspension and again we think that shows the strong relationship between our two countries,” O’Brien said.

In the letter to O’Brien, Locsin said “the past four years have changed the South China Sea from one of uncertainty about great powers’ intentions to one of predictability and resulting stability with regard to what can and cannot be done, what will and will not be acceptable with regard to the conduct of any protagonist in the South China Sea.”