The United States had assured the government of the Republic of the Philippines to depend it’s territory amidst tension in the South China Sea. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said that the United States will honor the Mutual Defense Treaty between the Philippines and the United States of America.
The US Secretary of State stated that the commitment of the US was to offer the Philippines affordable weapons as part of the Armed Forces modernization program. She announced the assurance of protecting the Philippines against foreign invaders after she held talks with Foreing Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was quoted as saying “I want to underscore our commitment to the defense of the Philippines,” she said during a joint press briefing regarding the issue of disputed Spratly Islands and the South China Sea.
Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto del Rosario was invited to the office of the office of the secretary of state for some discussions regarding the South China Sea issue and the problem with terrorism and trafficking as well as the growing trade between the Philippines and the United States.
Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto del Rosario during the meeting with American counterpart Hillary Clinton was quoted as saying “While we are a small country, we are prepared to do what is necessary to stand up to any aggressive action in our backyard,” said the secretary.
The Philippines had accused the Chinese government of Chinese incursion within the disputed islands in the Spratly Islands as well as those territory that were occupied by the Philippine government. Since February 2011, there were a total of 9 Chinese incursions within the territorial waters of the West Philippine Sea.
During the year 1941, the Philippines and the United States entered into an agreement, the Mutual Defense Treaty. The treaty was still in effect although the cold war had ended between the USSR and the United States wherein the Philippines sided with the US.
Another treaty that bound the Philippines and the US was the Military Bases Agreement on 1947 but ended in 1991. It was succeeded by the Visiting Forces Agreement between the Philippines and the US which was signed on 1999 that provided US Military presence in the Philippines as part of the US War on Terror.
