Philippines May be Involved in N Korea and S Korea War Because of Treaty

Though we don't have the firepower to aid South Korea in case the tension between the two countries escalates into war, the Philippines had no other choice but to help South Korea because of a treaty with the United States.

Here is a report from the Philippine Daily Inquirer columnist Gil Cabacungan Jr. why this scenario is possible.

PH ‘obliged’ to aid South Korea

MANILA, Philippines—The Philippines under its mutual defense treaty with the United States has an obligation to send troops in case war breaks out between North and South Korea, Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile said Sunday.

“But given our capability, we can only send our doctors, nurses, engineers and maybe some ground troops. These are what we can only contribute because we do not have any air force, we do not have any navy,” Enrile said in an interview with dzBB radio.

Article IV of the mutual defense pact signed in August 1951 states that “each party recognizes that an armed attack in the Pacific area on either of the parties would be dangerous to its own peace and safety and declares that it would act to meet the common dangers in accordance with its constitutional processes.”

Article V says that “an armed attack on either of the parties is deemed to include an armed attack on the metropolitan territory of either of the parties, or on the island territories under its jurisdiction in the Pacific or on its armed forces, public vessels or aircraft in the Pacific.”

The two parties will take their lead from the United Nations Security Council, according to the accord.

Enrile said that some of the American troops deployed in the Philippines under the Visiting Forces Agreement would likely be pulled out to beef up US presence on the Korean border.

“We cannot do anything about that. That’s a function of the command of the US. They can pull out their forces from the Philippines to Korea and replace them with others,” Enrile said.

Fortunately, he said, the Philippines is out of the range of North Korea’s nuclear warheads and its Navy is not big enough to launch a massive sea attack in the region.

However, Enrile said that the Philippine government should closely monitor the situation considering that North Korea had become even more unpredictable with the rise in power of the aggressive Kim Jong-un, youngest son of longtime leader Kim Jong-il.

“But if ever their exchange of fire worsens, I can only say that the US and China would try to settle the matter between the two peacefully. But you never can tell, especially if North Korea launches its nuclear missile and South Korea retaliates … It’s a very unpredictable situation,” Enrile said.

By Gil C. Cabacungan Jr.
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 01:17:00 11/29/2010