Washington officials have told their lawmakers that the US is prepared to back the Philippines in case of escalation of tension in the South China Sea as they tackled China's continued aggression in the waters, including laser pointing and water cannon attacks against Philippine personnel.
During a congressional hearing of the US House of Representatives early Friday morning (Manila time), a US Defense Department official said Washington will surely invoke its Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT) commitment with the Philippines if an armed attack against Philippine assets, including those of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), is committed in the South China Sea.
"The [Defense] department has been incredibly clear when it comes to our treaty commitments to the Philippines," Lindsey Ford, US Defense Department's deputy assistant secretary, told Rep. Young Kim of California, who is also the chairwoman of the subcommittee on Indo-Pacific of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.
"We have said repeatedly and will continue to say that we stand by those commitments," Ford added.
Ford's assurance came as Kim raised others' criticisms of the US' commitment to the Philippines.
"Is the US prepared to back up its Mutual Defense Treaty with military force? And what message would it send to other countries in the region if the US doesn't respond forcefully enough to an event that triggers that treaty?" Kim asked Ford.
To prove it, the Defense official noted the "credibility" of Washington's military partnership with Manila, which she said is "a bedrock part" of the US' security in the Indo-Pacific and globally.
Aside from securing the US' military foothold in the Philippines through the nine Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) sites across the country, Ford said Washington is also helping an American company operating in Subic in operating a shipyard it sees as a "critical strategic infrastructure."
The municipality of Subic in Zambales is home to Subic Port, where large vessels, including military vessels, dock. It is located east of the West Philippine Sea, which is connected to the South China Sea.
"The fact that US companies are cooperating and helping to build jobs and make sure that that strategic area stays in friendly hands, I think, is incredibly important," Ford said.
Meanwhile, US Coast Guard Pacific Area Commander Vice Admiral Andrew Tiongson said the agency is responding to its Philippine counterpart's demand.
His remark came as Kentucky Rep. Andy Barr raised the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG)'s concern on lack of available assets to defend itself.
"[With] the Philippine Coast Guard, we have our largest security sector assistance program with them In fact, when you talk assets, we, through the interagency partnerships, built an entire training center to help them with operations as well as maintenance of the vessels that they do have," Tiongson said.
"We have helped them grow their coast guard from 5000 to their goal of about 35,000. They're still working on that, but they're well into that right now. And we have assigned a maritime adviser to them to help along that growth projection," he added.
State Department's Assistant Secretary for Multilateral Affairs Jung Pak also said the State Department is coordinating with allied countries in the region to address PCG's concern.
"Part of the State Department's goals there is to make sure that we're consulting frequently and in depth to talk about exactly what the Philippines needs," Pak said.