'Alarmed' BBM: No trigger for MDT

MELBOURNE – While expressing “great alarm” over the latest incident involving Filipino and Chinese vessels in the West Philippine Sea (WPS), President Marcos said he did not see it as a trigger for the Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT) between the Philippines and the United States.

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The US reaffirmed yesterday its commitment to defend the Philippines under the MDT, following China’s recent aggression in the WPS.

In Melbourne for the ASEAN-Australia special summit, however, Marcos said in a video statement, in response to a media query: “I do not think that it is a time or the reason to invoke the Mutual Defense Treaty. However, we continue to view with great alarm these continuing dangerous maneuvers and dangerous actions that are being done against our seamen, our Coast Guard.”

Four Filipino crew members on a resupply mission to Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal in the WPS were injured when water cannon blasts from the China Coast Guard shattered the windshield of their boat on Tuesday morning. Coast guard vessels of the two countries also collided.

“The United States reaffirms that Article IV of the 1951 US-Philippines Mutual Defense Treaty extends to armed attacks on Philippine armed forces, public vessels or aircraft – including those of its Coast Guard – anywhere in the South China Sea,” US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said.