The United States on Saturday reaffirmed its commitment to a defense treaty with the Philippines, which is currently embroiled in a territorial dispute with Beijing over the West Philippine Sea.  The pledge came as US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel met his Philippine counterpart Voltaire Gazmin on the sidelines of an annual security forum in Singapore set to be dominated by Beijing’s growing might. Pentagon spokesman George Little told journalists after the meeting that Secretary Hagel emphasized the importance of the Philippines as a treaty ally and reaffirmed the United States commitment to the Mutual Defense Treaty.