DEFENSE Secretary Delfin Lorenzana disagreed Tuesday, March 5, with the statement of Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. that there is no need to review the Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT) between the Philippines and the United States.
“I do not believe that ambiguity or vagueness of the Philippine-US Mutual Defense Treaty will serve as a deterrent. In fact, it will cause confusion and chaos during a crisis,” said Lorenzana in a statement.
“The fact that the security environment now is so vastly different and much more complex than the bipolar security construct of the era when the MDT was written necessitates a review of the treaty,” he added.
Lorenzana said he would even argue that the MDT should have been reviewed after the US bases were terminated in 1992 and the country lost its security umbrella.
He said since the US left the bases, the Chinese has become aggressive in its actions in the Mischief Reef.
Lorenzana said although the Chinese aggression was not an armed attack, it cannot be denied that the US did not stop it.
“The Philippines is not in a conflict with anyone and will not be at war with anyone in the future. But the United States, with the increased and frequent passage of its naval vessels in the West Philippine Sea, is more likely to be involved in a shooting war. In such a case and on the basis of the MDT, the Philippines will be automatically involved,” he said.
“It is not the lack of reassurance that worries me. It is being involved in a war that we do not seek and do not want,” he added.
In a press conference on Friday, March 1, Locsin said the “vagueness” of the MDT is what makes it effective.
“My own view is no. I believe in the old theory of deterrence. I have been an old man, I’ve engaged in the Cold War for longer than you. In vagueness lies the best deterrence,” he said.
“How do you flesh out that vagueness? The repeated assurances by the United States that in the event of an act of aggression committed against the Philippines. I don’t believe that going down into the details is the way the sincerity of the American commitment can be shown. They will respond, depending on the circumstances,” he added.
But US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, in the same press conference, assured that the conflicting claims in the West Philippine Sea is covered by the MDT.
Locsin said Pompeo’s statement made the Philippines “very assured and very confident” that the US “got our back.”
The MDT, signed in 1951, includes eight articles and requires Pacific allies to provide assistance in case of an armed attack either in Washington or Manila. (SunStar Philippines)