PH should get fair share in US mutual defense treaty—JV Ejercito
Senatorial candidate Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito on Friday said the Philippines and the United States should benefit equally from the PH-US mutual defense treaty.
“As the name of the treaty suggests, Mutual Defense Treaty, dapat po ito ay pantay-pantay (it should be equal). We are considered the little brown brothers of the United States of America and one of their staunchest allies,” Ejercito said during the latest SMNI Senatorial Forum at the Okada Hotel in Parañaque City.
Despite some initial reservations about the move, the former senator said he eventually saw the wisdom in President Duterte’s decision to withdraw from the accord.
Ejercito, who is seeking a fresh Senate term in the upcoming May 2022 elections, pointed out that the Philippines has been getting the “short end of the stick” when it comes to military aid.
“Nagtaka rin ako nung una, bakit si President Duterte, bakit di niya gusto ang Amerika (I was also surprised at first, why is President Duterte against the US)? Pero looking back at the military aid, they gave us five, 10 million, probably 30 million dollars in military aid,” he said.
“When you look at other countries, hundreds of millions of dollars. And yet, we are supposed to be staunchest ally. Pag sinabing Pilipinas, kakampi agad ng Amerika (When you say Philippines, we are always viewed as an American ally),” added Ejercito.
“They have to equip us with (military) equipment just like a partner does. Dapat strategic partner tayo. Dapat pantay-pantay, hindi po bilang isang maliit na kapatid (We should be strategic partners. We should all be equal, not considered as a smaller sibling),” he added.
Signed in August 1951, the mutual defense treaty between the Philippines and the United States bound the two countries to support each other should one of them be attacked by external threats.
The Philippines withdrew from the accord in February 2020, but the Duterte administration later on back-pedaled on its decision after a few months.
Ejercito said the Philippines should pursue stronger ties with its regional neighbors in countering China’s growing aggression.
“Aside from the Mutual Defense Treaty with the United States, we can already forge alliances with Australia, Japan, UK, and other Asian countries that have disputes with China,” he pointed out.