Lorenzana wants provisions of Mutual Defense Treaty with US reviewed

December 20, 2018

Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana wants provisions of the country’s 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT) with the United States reviewed due to security concerns in the South China Sea.

“We are going to (review it)… we’ll need to look at the provisions there, discuss with the end view of reviewing to make it stronger or whatever,” Lorenzana said in his yearend briefing on Thursday.

Lorenzana said the review is needed in order for the country to make its alliance with the US stronger. “It is the only country we have an alliance with,” he said.

Lorenzana said the defense department wanted a US stand if it will support the Armed Forces of the Philippines if outside forces confront them in the country’s  nine islets and features in the Kalayaan Island Group (KIG).

“The US (is) very ambivalent. They are saying that the MDT covers only the metropolitan Philippines. I think their definition of metropolitan Philippine is just the whole country and KIG is not included,” Lorenzana said.

“We are thinking about that also… we really wanted to review that also…  I think we have been discussing that with our staff inside the DND,” Lorenzana said.

While the country has occupied or claimed islets and shoals in the West Philippine Sea, its claims were being challenged by China which has reportedly built bases in man-made islets in the South China Sea.

Panatag Shoal (Scarborough), Panganiban Reef (Mischief) Ayungin Shoal in Kalayaan are within the country’s exclusive economic zone. 

The territorial dispute is listed by the Armed Forces of the Philippine as a primary source of external threat.

Lorenzana said a review of the Mutual Defense Treaty and its provisions was  initially raised with US officials last month in Hawaii by Defense Undersecretary Cardozo Luna.

“I think, it was Undersecretary Luna, who was invited to Hawaii to a attend conference where he said maybe we should start reviewing our MDTs,” Lorenzana said.  DMS