MANILA, Philippines – For a while, it seemed it didn’t matter much to Filipinos that the Philippines has a Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT) with the United States. The Philippines had just come out of 40-plus years of being a US colony. Until the early 1990s, the Philippines housed two of the US’ largest offshore military bases. A defense pact between the two countries felt automatic and was largely taken for granted.
That is, until around 2012, when China started staking a more aggressive claim over the West Philippine Sea. There were signs as early as 1995 – a few years after Manila expelled the US bases in Subic and Clark – that China was going to move in. It built stations on Mischief Reef then. Who knew that, less than two decades later, it would have full-fledged military bases on Mischief and at least six other geologic features within what the Philippines considers its maritime territory?
Suddenly, Manila wanted assurance that the MDT holds sway, and that it would apply to the West Philippine Sea. (It does, Washington has repeatedly stated since.) The question now is, what would it take to trigger an American response based on the MDT? Chinese vessels have increasingly been abrasive to Philippine ones on the water. Manila would like the world, and China specifically, to know that they risk facing the world’s still-strongest military if they ever take a step too far.
Rappler editor-at-large Marites Vitug tells us more in this episode. – Rappler.com
Presenter, writer: Marites Vitug
Producer: JC Gotinga
Videographer: Errol Almario
Video editor: JP San Pedro
Graphic artists: Guia Abogado, David Castuciano, Andoy Edoria
Supervising producer: Beth Frondoso
