Lacson to Duterte: Invoke defense treaty with US

Senator Panfilo Lacson, a former Philippine National Police chief, said Tuesday, June 18, that President Rodrigo Duterte “forgot” to invoke the Mutual Defense Treaty between the Philippines and the United States.

Lacson said he was not praying for World War III, but having the US Pacific Fleet in the West Philippine Sea would make China “feel the balance of power in that area”.

Under the Mutual Defense Treaty, which Lacson described as an “effective weapon” in the Philippine arsenal, both the US and the Philippines are obliged to respond if any of their vessels are attacked.

“No less than US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said as much very

recently - that the US and the Philippines have an obligation under such treaty to respond accordingly if a vessel belonging to either party, military or civilian is attacked in the West Philippine Sea which according to him is within the area of the Pacific,” the senator said in a statement issued Tuesday, June 18.

In a Twitter post earlier in the day, Lacson said the President’s first public comment on the Recto Bank incident left him heartbroken.

“He (Duterte) forgot to explore all resources available before exercising his last option of surrender,” Lacson said.

Duterte, in his first public comment on the incident, downplayed it as a maritime incident and warned against creating tension in the South China Sea.

Opposition senators also expressed dismay over Duterte’s stance.

“Your statement on the Recto Bank hit-&-run incident reveals a lot. Thank you for confirming who you truly are, Mr. Pres: violent & cruel towards the poor, foul-mouthed & obscene to women & democracy advocates, but feckless & spineless before China. Shame,” Senator Ana Theresia “Risa” Hontiveros said in her own Twitter post.

Senator Francis Pangilinan, who is also president of the Liberal Party, asked why the administration gave more weight to the claims of China rather than the account of the Filipino fishermen and the Philippine Navy.

“Sino na ang aasahan na magtatanggol sa maliliit at mahihirap nating mga kababayan kung ang namumuno mismo ay kampi sa kabila? Gobyerno ba natin itong naririnig ko o mga kinatawan at ahente ng China?” he said in a statement. (SunStar Philippines)