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A plan to review the 1951 US-Philippines Mutual Defense Treaty is to find out if it still serves the country’s interest, according to Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana.

“I was asked, do you think it’s time to review (the MDT)? I said maybe because that was done in 1951. And when it was done in 1951, there is a raging Cold War. Do we still have Cold War today? Is it still relevant to our security? Maybe not,” Lorenzana said in a press briefing in Malacanang on Friday.

Lorenzana said there are many regional alignments. "You know, Japan is arming; Australia is also trying to get into here, into our region; other countries also coming here. So where do we put ourselves in this changing security structure?" he explained.

He said he directed the legal staff of the Department of National Defense to look into the treaty.

"I have just directed our lawyers to start looking into it," said Lorenzana.

“ It’s (Mutual Defense Treaty) at 67 years old, 67 years old treaty, is it still relevant to our national interest. That’s what we should look at right?,” he added.

Lorenzana said this "should be looked at...dispassionately , without considering about past ties or about the future ties of the country."

Lorenzana said the end goal of the review is to either “maintain, strengthen or scrap” the treaty.

“Does this treaty still serve our interest as a nation? That’s what we should look at. We are not saying that we want to strengthen it so that they can help us during war- who is our enemy? Are we still hoping that somebody will attack us here in the Philippines? I don’t think so,” he said.

He said the country has been benefiting from the MDT, citing the Visiting Forces Agreement, the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement, and the former US military bases in Subic and Clark.

“It’s part of the deal. There are benefits we get from this MDT,” he said.

Asked if the review was because of the ties of President Rodrigo Duterte to China, the defense chief said he is worried about the tension between the United States and China.

“Under the treaty, attack on one is attack on another so we will be involved (on their war),” he said. Ella Dionisio/DMS