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(Eagle News)–Both the Philippines and the United States reaffirmed the “importance of working closely to enhance the Mutual Defense Treaty” in light of the “recent geopolitical developments and challenges” in the Asia in the West Philippine Sea, the Department of Foreign Affairs said. The DFA said the reaffirmation of the treaty that “has stood strong for nearly 70 years” was made in a conversation between Secretary of Foreign Affairs Teodoro Locsin Jr. and U.S. Secretary […]
(Eagle News) — The Mutual Defense Treaty between the Philippines and the United States will be rendered useless if the Visiting Forces Agreement is terminated, Senator Panfilo Lacson said on Tuesday, Feb. 11. In a statement, Lacson said the MDT, which posits that the Philippines and the US would act in accordance with the Constitution should there be an armed attack on either one of them, “will now be reduced to a mere paper treaty […]
(Eagle News) — A Senate panel will start reviewing the Visiting Forces Agreement and other Philippine-US military agreements next week. Senator Koko Pimentel, chair of the foreign relations committee, said apart from the VFA, which allows US bases in the country, the Enhanced Development Cooperation Agreement and the Mutual Defense Treaty would be reviewed. Pimentel made the disclosure after the Department of Justice revealed it had been asked to study the process for terminating the […]
(Eagle News) — President Rodrigo Duterte will not deploy Philippine troops to the Middle East unless the national interest requires it. This is according to President Duterte himself, who spoke to reporters on Tuesday, Jan. 7. “(It’s) out of the question. Unless the national interest would demand it and it will be decided not by me but me and Congress,” Duterte said. According to the President, the Philippines would honor its Mutual Defense Treaty with […]
(Eagle News) — Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo on Wednesday, June 19, slammed Senator Panfilo Lacson’s comment the Mutual Defense Treaty could be invoked in the Recto Bank incident that saw a Chinese vessel hitting a Filipino fishing vessel and abandoning it. In a radio interview, Panelo said in the first place, there was “no act of aggression” so far. “Hindi pa natin alam kung ano bang nangyari doon, is it intentional? Assuming na intentional, ang […]
But in such a scenario, under MDT, PHL will “automatically be involved,” Lorenzana says (Eagle News) — For Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, the United States is “more likely to be involved in a shooting war” in the West Philippine Sea than the Philippines because of the “increased and frequent passage of” American naval vessels. Even then, Lorenzana said on the basis of the Mutual Defense Treaty, the Philippines will “automatically be involved,” which means the […]
(Eagle News)– The Palace on Friday, March 1, said it still wants a review of the Mutual Defense Treaty. Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo made the statement even after US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo gave the assurance his country would come to the Philippines’ aid should it be attacked in the disputed West Philippine Sea, based on the treaty. According to Panelo, although the Palace was “pleased to note that the US has made a […]
(Eagle News)–Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. believes there is no need to review the Mutual Defense Treaty to ensure the United States will come to its aid should China attack the Asian country over the dispute in the South China Sea. “In vagueness lies the best deterrence,” Locsin said in a joint press conference with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo at the Department of Foreign Affairs on Friday, March 1. “We are very […]
US President Donald Trump said Tuesday strong US ties with the Philippines were vital for military reasons. The US president said he had repaired relations with the Philippines, which soured last year during the administration of former president Barack Obama. Duterte blasted Obama for intervening in Philippine affairs when he criticized the Philippine president’s drug war. “The (Philippines’) relationship with the past administration was horrible, to use a nice word. I would say horrible is […]
President Donald Trump has backed away from a threat to skip a summit with Southeast Asian leaders in the Philippines later this year, with the White House saying it had accepted an invitation from host Rodrigo Duterte. In a statement Friday, the White House said that Trump will visit Manila as part of a bumper November 3-14 tour of China, Japan, South Korea, Vietnam and the US state of Hawaii. The announcement tees up a […]
US and Philippine forces have staged an exercise simulating the seizure of an American plane by Islamic State and a hostage rescue, as they look to refocus their military alliance towards counter-terrorism. The five-day training exercise which ended Tuesday was the first of its kind and saw more than 400 troops, airport police and hostage negotiators create a mock hijack of a plane by an IS cell that forced it to land at Clark airport […]
MARAWI, Philippines (AFP) — United States troops are on the ground helping local soldiers battle Islamist militants in a Philippine city, the Armed Forces of the Philippines spokesperson said Wednesday, giving the most detailed account of their role. The small number of US soldiers are providing vital surveillance assistance and, although they do not have a combat role, are allowed to open fire on the militants if attacked first, Brigadier-General Restituto Padilla said. “In a battle […]
