Lorenzana says 'ambiguity' in PHL-US defense treaty 'will cause chaos'

Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana on Tuesday contradicted Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr's statement on the 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty between Manila and Washington.

In a statement, Lorenzana said he does not believe that "ambiguity or vagueness" of the treaty will serve as a "deterrent" to attacks against the Philippines as claimed by Locsin last week.

"In fact, it (ambiguity) will cause confusion and chaos during a crisis," said Lorenzana, who has been pushing for a review of the MDT.

At a press briefing during US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo's visit last week, Locsin thumbed down the proposed review of the MDT, saying, "In vagueness lies uncertainty, a deterrent."

The MDT mandates the Philippines and the United States to help each other in case of armed attacks.

But according to Lorenzana, this may pull the Philippines into a "war that we do not seek and do not want."

The Defense chief noted that US is more likely to be involved in a "shooting war" in the disputed South China Sea than the Philippines.

"The United States, with the increased and frequent passage of its naval vessels in the West Philippine Sea, is more likely to be involved in a shooting war," he said. "In such a case and on the basis of the MDT, the Philippines will be automatically involved."

Lorenzana had earlier indicated the need to review the treaty to find out whether to maintain or scrap it. Malacañang has backed his statement, saying there is a need to make the treaty more relevant to the dispute in the South China Sea.

"The fact that the security environment now is so vastly different and much more complex than the bipolar security construct of the era when the MDT was written necessitates a review of the Treaty," Lorenzana said.

The Defense chief noted that after the US left its bases in the country, the Chinese started it "aggressive actions" in Mischief Reef and that "[t]he US did not stop it." —Joviland Rita/KBK, GMA News