State Dept report stresses importance of PH-US Mutual Defense Treaty

MANILA, Philippines—The strong security relationship between Manila and Washington “rests on the (1951) US-Philippines Mutual Defense Treaty,” according to a June 3 report of the US Department of State.

The updated profile on the Philippines—prepared by the State Department’s Bureau of East Asia and Pacific Affairs—is currently posted on the website of the US Embassy in Manila.

The bureau, headed by Assistant Secretary Kurt Campbell, handles international affairs with 31 countries and geographic entities, including the Philippines.

Signed on Aug. 13, 1951, in Washington, D.C., the Mutual Defense Treaty provides:

* “Article IV. Each party recognizes that an armed attack in the Pacific area on either of the Parties would be dangerous to its own peace and safety and declares that it would act to meet the common dangers in accordance with its constitutional processes.

* “Any such armed attack and all measures taken as a result thereof shall be immediately reported to the Security Council of the United Nations. Such measures shall be terminated when the Security Council has taken the measures necessary to restore and maintain international peace and security.”

* “Article V. For purposes of Article IV, an armed attack on either of the Parties is deemed to include an armed attack on the metropolitan territory of either of the Parties, or on the island territories under its jurisdiction in the Pacific Ocean, its armed forces, public vessels or aircraft in the Pacific.”

Under the treaty, Manila could count on Washington’s support if the situation with Beijing over the Spratlys dispute deteriorated.

The treaty “has been a long-standing, vital aspect of Philippine defense policy and posture,” according to Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary J. Eduardo Malaya.

“It is the sole defensive framework entered into by the Philippines. It has served both countries well since the 1950s and has continuing relevance,” said Malaya, also spokesperson of the Department of Foreign Affairs and the incoming Philippine ambassador to Malaysia.

In the same report, the State Department cited the Philippine government for its “efforts to reduce tensions among rival claimants to the territories and waters of the resource-rich South China Sea.”

The agency also noted “in its foreign policy, the Philippines cultivates constructive relations with its Asian neighbors with whom it is linked through membership in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, the Asean Regional Forum, and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum.

“The Philippines chaired Asean from 2006 to 2007, hosting the Asean Heads of State Summit and the Asean Regional Forum…The Philippines has played a key role in Asean in recent years, ratifying the Asean charter in October 2008,” said the State Department.

Manila “also values its relations with the countries in the Middle East, in no small part because hundreds of thousands of Filipinos are employed in that region.”

“The welfare of the four million to five million overseas Filipino contract workers is considered to be a pillar of Philippine foreign policy,” the State Department also said.

According to the agency, “US-Philippine relations are based on shared history and commitment to democratic principles, as well as on economic ties.”

“The historical and cultural links between the Philippines and the US remain strong. The Philippines modeled its governmental institutions on those of the US and continues to share a commitment to democracy and human rights. At the most fundamental level of bilateral relations, human links continue to form a strong bridge between the two countries. There are an estimated four million Americans of Philippine ancestry in the US, and more than 300,000 American citizens in the Philippines,” it said.

The State Department said “the post-US bases era has seen US-Philippine relations improved and broadened with a prominent focus on economic and commercial ties while maintaining the importance of the security dimension.”

“US investment continues to play an important role in the Philippine economy, while a strong security relationship rests on the Mutual Defense Treaty. In February 1998, US and Philippine negotiators concluded the Visiting Forces Agreement, paving the way for increased military cooperation under the MDT,” it also said.

Under the VFA, “the US has conducted ship visits to Philippine ports and resumed large combined military exercises with Philippine forces.”

“Annual bilateral military exercises contribute directly to the Philippine armed forces’ efforts to combat the Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiyah (terrorist) groups and bring development and relief to conflict- and disaster-affected areas. The exercises include not only combined military training but also civil-military affairs and humanitarian projects,” said the agency.

To counter transnational terrorism and insurgency, “the US government is helping to increase the abilities of military and civilian law enforcement agencies,” it added.