US on defending Phl: What more can we say?

The nited States is committed to defend the Philippines against e ternal attack, S mbassador Philip Goldberg reiterated yesterday.

n an interview on ANC, Goldberg was pressed for a categorical statement that his government would defend the Philippines in case of an attack in the South China Sea.

Goldberg said S President arack bama has declared their government’s ironclad commitment” to defend the Philippines under the two countries’ Mutual Defense Treaty MDT .

don’t know what more we can say,” Goldberg told ANC host aren Davila.

He urged ilipinos to move bilateral relations forward as he assured the country that the newly signed nhanced Defense Cooperation greement would respect the Philippine Constitution and laws.

Goldberg said he was aware that the past shaped events in the present, but he said people cannot live in the past.

‘South China Sea part of Pacific’

oreign ffairs Secretary lbert del Rosario, meanwhile, said yesterday that the South China Sea is part of the Pacific area where the nited States is ready to venture into to help defend the Philippines from e ternal attacks.

n 999, in a diplomatic letter, the nited States affi that the South China Sea is considered as part of the Pacific area,” Del Rosario said in a statement.

The D chief emphasi ed that under the Mut u a l D e f e n s e Tre a t y, the nited States will come to the assistance of the Philippines if our metropolitan territory is attacked or if our rmed orces are attacked in the Pacific area.”

bama on Tuesday reaffirmed his country’s commitment to help defend the Philippines against foreign aggression under the 9 MDT.

He said the treaty represented the two countries’ common determination” to help each other militarily so that no potential aggressor could be under the illusion that either of them stands alone.”

bama gave the assurance in a speech delivered before some ilipino and S servicemen at ort onifacio in Taguig City shortly before he returned to the S.

His remarks on the first day of his state visit were perceived to be guarded and meant not to antagoni e China, which is aggressively staking its claim over almost the entire South China Sea.

n March , the Philippines submitted to the arbitral tribunal in The Hague a memorial or written argument of its position on the est Philippine Sea. The S has declared its support for the Philippine initiative, but ei ing said it is only willing to negotiate with the Philippines bilaterally.