Amid the tumult surrounding Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana’s pledge to review the Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT), it is useful to look at the specific charges currently leveled against the MDT by its critics and to identify the historical background of these contentions. 1) The MDT is one-sided and fails to protect Philippine interests in the South China Sea. 2) The United States does not extend the same protection to the Philippines that it does to its other treaty allies. ) The MDT does not offer any real protection for the Philippines in the South China Sea.

Winger, G. H. (2019, March 2). Be careful what you wish for: On call to review PH-US pact. Philippine Daily Inquirer, p. A6.