Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. yesterday welcomed the “serious patrolling” being carried out by the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) in the West Philippine Sea. “Use regular vessels please, iron hulls come well within the definition of a public vessel whose sinking triggers the mutual defense treaty clear as crystal,” Locsin said in response to a video of a patrol mission released by the PGC. The secretary was referring to the 1951 Phl-US Mutual Defense treaty, which states that the two countries will come to the defense of each other in case of an attack by another country.

Mateo, J., Felipe, C. S., & Ramirez, R. (2021, April 18). DFA chief lauds PCG's 'serious patrolling' in WPS. The Philippine Star, pp. 1, 2.