A Philippine flag flutters as the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76) is seen anchored off Manila bay on June 26, 2018. A US aircraft carrier visited the Philippines on June 26, the third such call in four months, as its admiral hailed America's "enduring presence" in a region where China's military build-up had raised tensions. / AFP PHOTO / TED ALJIBE

“The US may be obliged to come to the Philippines’ aid in the event the Philippines finds itself under attack on Scarborough Shoal at WPS.”

Will the United States come to the defense of the Philippines in the event the West Philippine Sea (WPS) becomes a flashpoint among claimant nations, including China?

Uncle Sam may or may not depending on several historical issues to be resolved at WPS which China refers to as South China Sea.

Maritime expert Jay Batongbacal on Wednesday stressed the Philippine-US Mutual Defense Treaty can only be invoked by the Philippines if the US recognizes Scarborough Shoal as a territory of the Philippines.

Batongbacal, nonetheless, conceded that the US has an obligation under the pact to defend Philippine territory in the event of an attack by another country.

“There is a strong push for the US government (to aid the Philippines). It has been under discussion for more than a year now, whether the US should consider the Scarborough Shoal as Philippine territory,” said Batongbacal on TV.

He explained recent documents tended to show the US government turned over Scarborough to the Philippine Commonwealth government decades ago.

If that is the case, the US may be obliged to come to the Philippines’ aid in the event it finds itself under attack on Scarborough Shoal at WPS.

“A recognition on the part of the US means that you’re raising the possibility of defending the territory from, say reclamation,” the professor said.

“It’s now a matter of shall we say, how serious is the issue, how they would act on certain activities in Scarborough. The biggest danger is if China will push with its reclamation,” he added.

Batongbacal contended the arbitral ruling on the South China Sea seen by many to favor the Philippines may actually be a step backward for the Philippine government.

This because the ruling, according to Batongbacal, stated that both the Philippines and China have “traditional fishing rights” to the shoal.

A professor at the University of the Philippines, Batongbacal warned that under China’s concept of joint development with other claimant countries, Beijing retains sovereignty over the territories.

“That is a question we need to ask them and that has to be resolved in discussion. If this is pushed by China, if this is an integral element in their position, then implicitly, we’ll have to accept that,” he said.