SEN. Miriam Santiago, hinting that the United States could inevitably get involved in the brewing territorial disputes in the South China Sea, asserted that Philippine officials concerned should “aggressively pursue our rightful claim” over the resource-rich Spratlys island chain off Palawan.

In a radio interview over the weekend, Santiago indicated that the US will likely back other claimants in the contested South China Sea territories “but we cannot wait and must promote our own interests.”

She added that “it is also in the US’s interest to see to it that we are not gobbled up by China.”

Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile, in a separate interview, noted that while the Philippines could not directly ask the US to help “patrol our property,” American submarines are known to be in the vicinity of the disputed areas.

“You don’t have to ask them,” he said.

The US pulled out its air force and naval bases here after the Philippine Senate voted to terminate the lease on their facilities at Clark and Subic, but American soldiers were allowed to stay in the country year-round as part of  joint military exercises under the PHL-US Mutual Defense Treaty.