Philippines, US reaffirm Mutual Defense Treaty commitment

United States Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin III on Thursday said the Philippines and the US have reaffirmed their commitment to the Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT) during their bilateral meeting.

“Today, (Philippine Defense) Secretary Carlito Galvez and I also reaffirmed our Mutual Defense Treaty commitments. We note that the MDT applies to armed attacks on either of our armed forces, public vessels, or aircraft anywhere in the South China Sea or the West Philippines Sea,” Austin said at press conference in Camp Aguinaldo.

“We discussed actions to address these destabilizing activities in the water surrounding the Philippines including the West Philippine Sea and we remain committed to strengthening our mutual capacities to resist armed attacks,” he added.

Under the MDT, the two countries agreed that an armed attack in the Pacific Area on either the Philippines or the US would be dangerous and that they would act to meet the common dangers in accordance with its constitutional processes.

According to Austin, these actions are important as “China continues to advance their illegitimate claims in the West Philippines Sea.”

In 2013, the Philippines challenged China’s legal basis for its vast claim in the South China Sea before the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague, Netherlands.

Manila won the case in a landmark award in 2016 after the tribunal invalidated Beijing’s assertions.

China has ignored and belittled the ruling, maintaining an "indisputable" and "historical" claim over nearly the entire waters even as it encroaches on the territories of its smaller neighbors like the Philippines.—AOL, GMA Integrated News