DEFENSE Secretary Delfin Lorenzana yesterday said the Duterte administration is trying to balance its relationship with the United States and China in relation to the territorial dispute in the West Philippine Sea.
“Even if the Americans will back us up, we cannot do anything because the Americans have no permanent presence here,” Lorenzana said.
The US has been supporting the claims of the Philippine government on several islands in the WPS primarily to maintain freedom of navigate in the disputed areas.
A few weeks ago, US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo said China’s claims in the disputed areas “are completely unlawful, as is its campaign of bullying to control them.”
“They cannot stay here in the South China Sea, they have to come here from their nearest bases in Guam and Okinawa and they have to travel and they have to leave,” Lorenzana said of the Americans.
“We’ll be left alone so we have to balance our relationship with each of these superpowers to protect our own interest,” Lorenzana said.
He said the Philippines cannot be involved in military exercises with the Americans in the South China Sea because, in the first place, the country lacks capable assets to deploy for such activities. He said that has been the country’s stance since the early stage of the Duterte administration.
“We have no assets to deploy, our frigates are not armed, we have limited ships so we cannot actually participate with them. Now, the problem is when they (Americans) leave, we’ll be left alone,” said Lorenzana.
“We have to deal with the Chinese whether we like it or not and they are of course our neighbor and they are always there. They are not leaving the area. So I think we have to manage our relationship with the Chinese and that is what the President is trying to do actually since the start of his presidency,” he added.
Lorenzana downplayed Duterte’s statement that he is “inutile” when it comes to defending the Philippine territory in the disputed areas. The President had said his administration has to cool off and pursue diplomatic means to resolve the dispute because the country lacks arms to go to war against China.
“He exaggerates sometimes,” Lorenzana said, adding however that the President was “just being realistic and practical that we cannot do anything (militarily).”
Lorenzana also said the US has not been helping to modernize the Armed Forces. He said what the Americans are giving are second hand equipment under the US Excess Defense Articles program.
“There is no provision in the MDT (Mutual Defense Treaty) that they will help us in a big way in our modernization. If they were not able to help us when they still have bases here, how much now?” he asked.
The Americans left their bases here in 1992 after the Senate voted not to renew the US bases agreement.
