News Snapshot:
In December 2018, Philippine Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana revealed that the Department of National Defense (DND) was reviewing the 1951 Philippine-US Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT) as he questioned its relevance in the second decade of the 21st century. During a press briefing, he stated that the time had arrived for the MDT “to be revisited, given that its provisions were formulated in the early 1950s.” Lorenzana admitted that the Philippines had benefitted from its alliance with the US because of the MDT and its side agreements like the 1997 Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA), and the 2014 Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement...
