Marcos says invoking MDT with US will only escalate tension in WPS
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said Saturday the Philippines will not invoke the country’s Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT) with the United States following the laser-pointing incident by China in the West Philippine Sea.
“If we activated that, what we are doing is escalating the --- intensifying the tensions in the area and I think that would be counterproductive. Besides, despite the fact that it was a military-grade laser that was pointed at our Coast Guard, I do not think that that is sufficient for it to trigger the Mutual Defense Treaty,” Marcos said during a media interview after attending the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) alumni homecoming in Baguio City.
“So we are in constant contact, of course, with our treaty partners, not only with the United States but also our ASEAN partners and our partners here in Asia and that I think is the better recourse rather to go directly to the Mutual Defense Treaty, which again, I am very concerned would provoke the tensions rather than cool the tensions down,” the President pointed out.
Last February 6, a Chinese Coast Guard vessel with bow number 5205 directed a military-grade laser light at the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) vessel BRP Malapascua (MRRV-4403) while supporting a rotation and resupply mission of the Philippine Navy in Ayungin Shoal in the West Philippine Sea.
The laser light, according to reports, temporarily blinded the PCG personnel.
When asked by reporters what prompted him to summon the Chinese Ambassador to discuss the issue, the President said the laser-pointing incident was only a part of intensifying or escalating actions of the maritime militia, coast guard and the navy of China.
“Actually, I said we have to find a way around this because if we are such close friends such as China and the Philippines, these are not the kind of incidents that we should be talking about between the President and the Ambassador to the Philippines from China,” Marcos said.
“And I reminded him that this was not what we agreed upon with President Xi (Jinping) when I visited him in Beijing," the chief executive added.
Marcos said both sides are hoping that they can find a better way to address these incursions in the Philippine maritime territory as well as China’s aggressive acts that the country has been seeing in the past few weeks. Presidential News Desk
