MDT - USA obliged to defend the Philippines in Spratlys against any invasion

The hardest point of America is to stand in between the two roles in the same case and the same issue.   USA is supposed not to take one side on any countries with conflict but America have no escape for the Philippines as they signed an agreement called Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT) in 1951 to take effect in 1952. The MDT was signed between US and the Philippines after 5 years of giving independence to the Philippines. The Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT) obliged America to defend the Philippines to any External assault or attack to the Philippines' territory.

The binding of the MDT with PHL-US is clear that obliged America to defend the Philippines to any External assault or attack to the Philippines” even spratlys islands is not mentioned since the Spratlys is within 200 Nautical Miles Exclusive Economic Zone of the Philippines and countries invading the Philippine waters is subject for retaliation from the Philippines' forces and US Forces.

U.S. forces are obliged to help defend Filipino troops, ships or aircraft under a 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty if they come under attack in the disputed Spratly Islands in the South China Sea, Philippine officials said, citing past American assurances.

The potentially oil- and gas-rich Spratly Islands have long been regarded as one of Asia's possible flash points for conflict. China, the Philippines and Vietnam have been trading barbs and diplomatic protests recently over overlapping territorial claims, reigniting tension.

Complicating the issue is the role the United States could play in resolving the disputes. A Mutual Defense Treaty signed by U.S. and Philippine officials in Aug. 30, 1951, calls on each country to help defend the other against an external attack by an aggressor in their territories or in the Pacific region.

Amid renewed tensions in the Spratlys, questions have emerged whether the treaty would apply if ill-equipped Philippine forces come under attack in the islands, all of which are claimed by China. Parts also are claimed by Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam.

The Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs said in a policy paper that the treaty requires Washington to help defend Filipino forces if they come under attack in the Spratlys, citing U.S. diplomatic dispatches that defined the Pacific region under the treaty as including the South China Sea. The South China Sea was not specifically mentioned in the pact.

A copy of the policy paper was seen by The Associated Press on Wednesday.

Philippine Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario also said in a recent interview that American officials have made clear that Washington would respond in case Filipino forces come under attack in the South China Sea.

Del Rosario said by telephone from Washington that he would discuss the Spratly disputes, along with issues related to the 1951 defense treaty, and other regional security concerns with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton when they meet Thursday.

The U.S. Embassy in Manila declined to discuss details of when the pact would apply.

"As a strategic ally, the United States honors our Mutual Defense Treaty with the Philippines," said Alan Holst, acting public affairs officer at the embassy. "We will not engage in discussion of hypothetical scenarios."

The defense treaty, which came into force in 1952, defined an attack as an armed assault on "the metropolitan territory of the parties" or their "armed forces, public vessels or aircraft in the Pacific."

While the U.S. has a policy of not interfering in territorial disputes, the Philippine paper said "it may be construed that any attack on our vessels, armed forces or aircraft in the Spratlys would make the treaty applicable and accordingly obligate the U.S. to act to meet the common dangers."

China has urged the United States to stay out of the territorial disputes in the South China Sea, saying they should be resolved through bilateral negotiations.

On Wednesday, Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Cui Tiankai warned that Washington risks getting drawn into a conflict should tensions in the region escalate further.

Washington views the sea lanes in the area as strategically important.

"If the United States does want to play a role, it may counsel restraint to those countries that have frequently been taking provocative action and ask them to be more responsible in their behavior," Cui said at a briefing.

He later added, "I believe that individual countries are actually playing with fire, and I hope that fire will not be drawn to the United States."

The Philippines has accused China of intruding at least six times in Manila-claimed areas in and near the Spratlys since February. Among the most serious was a reported firing by a Chinese navy vessel on Feb. 25 to scare away Filipino fishermen from the Jackson Atoll.

The Philippines, whose poorly equipped forces are no match for China's powerful military, has resorted to diplomatic protests. President Benigno Aquino III insisted Friday that his country won't be bullied by China and said Beijing should stop intruding into waters claimed by Manila.

The battle for ownership of the Spratlys has settled into an uneasy standoff since clashes involving China and Vietnam killed more than 70 Vietnamese sailors in 1988.

 

Continue reading

the Philippines has record 11 billionaires with 6 new comers: Forbes

The Philippine with among of the divided wealth and common gap between richest to poorest recorded another 11 individuals for Billion Dollars Billionaires – Forbes.

A booming Philippines’ stock market has expanded the Philippines' billionaires' list to a record 11, with the combined wealth of the 40 richest also hitting an all-time high, Forbes.com said Thursday.

Shopping mall owner Henry Sy, 86, saw his assets surge 44 percent to $7.2 billion over the past year and remains the Philippines' richest man, the website said in its annual update of the country's wealthiest.

Lucio Tan, 77, tobacco tycoon and former crony of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos, kept his spot at number-two with $2.8 billion, while budget airline owner John Gokongwei, 83, remained third-richest with $2.4 billion.

Six Filipinos became billionaires for the first time as the paper value of their shares in listed companies soared, boosting their select group's numbers to a record 11.

"The Philippines' economy grew only 4.9 percent in the first quarter of the year... off from 8.4 percent in 2010, but the country's stock market is booming," Forbes said, explaining the surge.

"The stock exchange's composite index is up 27 percent since last year, surpassing its 2007 benchmark."

This also lifted the combined fortunes of the country's 40 richest to an all-time high $34 billion, up from last year's $22.8 billion, the website reported.

Among the six new billionaires are construction magnate David Consunji, 90, and port operator Enrique Razon, at 51 the youngest Filipino with 10-figure assets.

The others are San Miguel Corp. chairman Eduardo Cojuangco, 76, former finance minister Roberto Ongpin, 74, banker George Ty, 78, and hamburger king Tony Tan Caktiong, 58, of the Jollibee restaurant chain.

Ongpin, a key San Miguel shareholder, was the biggest gainer as his wealth increased more than four-fold to become ninth-richest at $1.3 billion, owing mostly to his other investments in a listed gold mining firm.

Jaime Zobel de Ayala, 77, former head of top conglomerate Ayala Corp., slid two rungs to sixth-richest but his fortune still grew 35.71 percent to $1.9 billion.

Property developer Andrew Tan, 58, became the country's fourth-wealthiest man with $2 billion.

The youngest on this year's Filipino richest list was Edgar Sia, a 34-year-old college dropout now worth $85 million after selling his chicken-barbecue restaurant chain to Jollibee.

Forbes said the Filipino rich were also among Asia's most magnanimous.

Lucio Tan sent 700,000 bottles of water to tsunami-hit Japan, and his charity foundation has been a big backer of teacher training, medical missions and housing for the poor

 

Continue reading

The US will grant lease and Acquire Modern Armaments to the Philippines to become powerful

The United States said Thursday it was ready to provide hardware to modernize the military of the Philippines, which vowed to "stand up to aggressive action" amid rising tension at sea with China.

Philippines’ Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario, on a visit to Washington, said the Philippines hoped to lease equipment to upgrade its aged fleet and called for the allies to revamp their relationship in light of the friction with China.

"We are determined and committed to supporting the defense of the Philippines," Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told a joint news conference when asked about the hardware wish-list from the Philippines.

Clinton said the two nations were working "to determine what the additional assets that the Philippines needs are and how we can best provide those." She said del Rosario would meet Defense Secretary Robert Gates and other Pentagon officials.

Tensions in the strategic and resource-rich West Philippine Sea or South China Sea have escalated in recent weeks; with the Philippines and Vietnam alarmed at what they say are increasingly aggressive actions by Beijing in the Philippine waters and Vietnam waters.

Several Southeast Asian nations have been seeking closer relationships with the United States, which since last year has called loudly for freedom of navigation in the South China Sea and West Philippines’ Sea.

"We are concerned that recent incidents in the South China Sea could undermine peace and stability," Clinton told reporters, urging "all sides to exercise self-restraint."

Del Rosario, with Clinton at his side, said that the Philippines was a small country but is "prepared to do what is necessary to stand up to any aggressive action in our backyard."

The Philippines has announced the deployment in disputed waters of its navy flagship, the Rajah Humabon. One of the world's oldest warships, the Rajah Humabon was a former US Navy frigate that served during World War II.

The Philippines has historically bought second-hand hardware, but del Rosario said that President Benigno Aquino has allocated 11 billion pesos (252 million dollars) to upgrade the navy.

Shortly ahead of his talks with Clinton, del Rosario said that the Philippines was asking the United States for "an operational lease so that we can look at fairly new equipment and be able to get our hands on that quickly."

"We need to have the resources to be able to stand and defend ourselves and, I think, to the extent that we can do that, we become a stronger ally for you," del Rosario said at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

The United States signed a defense treaty with the Philippines in 1951(MDT), five years after the archipelago's independence from US colonial rule. Del Rosario said he believed the treaty -- which calls for mutual defense in the event of an attack in "the Pacific area" -- covers the South China Sea.

The United States has been providing military aid to the Philippines primarily to fight Islamic militants in the wake the September 11, 2001 attacks.

Del Rosario said that Al-Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf has largely been defeated; estimating that only around 200 guerrillas remained.

"The Philippines' relative success in counter-insurgency coupled with pressures in the regional environment compels a reorientation of focus and resources," he said.

"A reset in our relations has therefore become an imperative to allow the alliance to continue to meet domestic goals while contributing to global stability," he said.

China has said that it will not resort to the use of force in the South China Sea but has also warned the United States to stay out of territorial spats.

I believe some countries now are playing with fire. And I hope the US won't be burned by this fire," China's vice foreign minister Cui Tiankai said.

 

Continue reading