place because of the Mutual Defense Treaty signed in 1951. The Philippines was guaranteed US. Military intervention if any situation arose that affected the Philippine national security . During a 1992 Mutual Defense Meeting, Philippine and American military officials agreed that no radical change in the bilateral defense and security relationship would be made . Despite this agreement the US commitment has come under some question with the emergence of the Philippine claim to the Spratlys.The Spratly Islands is a generally uninhabited island chain covering 800,000 square kilometers of the South China Sea. It is believed to contain significant reserves of oil in addition to its rich marine resources, minerals and hydrocarbon deposits. The Philippines claims a total are of 93,000 square kilometers, which it collectively calls the Kalayaan (Freedom) Islands. The Spratlys are also claimed wholly or partly by Brunei, China, Taiwan, Vietnam, and Malaysia. Presently the dispute over the Spratlys has become the principal test of the MDT’s importance to the Philippine’s defense need.The U.S., however, believes that the Spratlys and any conflict arising from it falls outside the jurisdiction of the MDT. Morton Smith, spokesperson of the U.S. Embassy to the Philippines, said that the Kalayaan Islands are excluded from the scope of the treaty because they were not part of the country’s territory when the MDT was signed. The Philippines had only raised its claim in 1987. The United States, however refuses to take the side on the issue, and does not recognize the claim of any country on the disputed islands. Because the U.S. does not recognize the Philippine claim it is not obliged to come to its aid in the event of armed conflict in that area. The Philippines, however, believes that the United States is bound under the MDT to come to its defense in case of an attack on territory it claims in the South China Sea. Dur...
