Last month, the Philippine Department of National Defence signalled Manila's support for US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo describing most of Beijing's claims in the South China Sea as “completely unlawful”.
The Philippines' Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. has for the first time openly pledged to invoke Manila's defence agreement with Washington if Beijing moves to attack Philippine vessels in the South China Sea.
In an interview with the broadcaster ANC on Wednesday, Loscin also declared that the Philippines would go ahead with its air patrols over the area despite China's rejection of such flyovers as “illegal provocations”.
“[But if] something happens that is beyond incursion but is in fact an attack on say a Filipino naval vessel … [that] means then I call up Washington DC”, Loscin warned.
The statement comes after the Philippine Department of National Defence said in mid-July that they “strongly agree with the position of the international community that there should be a rules-based order in the South China Sea”.
Duterte Voices Alarm Over South China Sea Tensions
In June, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte expressed concern over Beijing's increasing activity in the South China Sea while the region is busy struggling with the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
In a separate development in June, the Philippines announced the reversal of its previous decision to terminate the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) with the US, referring to “the political…
