For Duterte, verbal fishing deal with China ‘legally binding’ – Palace

President Rodrigo Duterte and President Xi Jinping of People’s Republic of China pose for a photo prior to their expanded bilateral meeting at the Malacañan Palace on November 20, 2018. KING RODRIGUEZ/PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte believes that his verbal fishing deal with Chinese President Xi Jinping is “legally binding,” Malacañang said Thursday.

“Yes, that is the position of the President, not my position. I am just echoing the position as spokesman of the President. If you cannot agree with that, we can’t do anything about it. That’s how it is,” Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said in a Palace briefing.

Duterte has received a sharp rebuke for saying last week that he could not ban the Chinese from fishing in the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ) because he and Xi have agreed to such an arrangement in exchange for the return of Filipino fishermen to Scarborough Shoal.

Panelo insisted the agreement between Xi and Duterte was legally binding despite Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles and Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. claiming that the verbal pact was not enforceable.

READ: Panelo insists verbal fishing deal between Duterte and Xi ‘legally binding’

“Eh nangyayari na nga. Kung ano ‘yong napag-usapan nila, nangyayari na hindi tayo pinapakialaman sa Reed Bank (Recto bank) tapos pinapabayaan na mag-fish ‘yong mga fisherman natin sa Scarborough Shoal. Eh ano pa ba ang tawag mo doon,” he said.

Scarborough is a traditional fishing ground within the Philippines’ EEZ that Beijing seized after a two-month standoff with the Philippine Navy in 2012.

Since then, Filipinos were not allowed access to the resource-rich shoal until October 2016.

Own interpretation

Panelo said Nograles and Locsin are entitled to their own interpretation.

“Kung yun ang basa nung dalawa, ano’ng magagawa natin?” he said.

“As far as the President is concerned, and I am concerned, as far as I am concerned also, very clear ang sinabi niya. There is no room for any interpretation,” he added.

Asked if the interpretations of Locsin and Nograles were “incorrect,” Panelo said, “Ano pa nga ba, kasi hindi iyon ang ano eh, hindi iyong sinasabi ni Presidente.”

“But they are entitled to their interpretation. Eh kung iyon ang intindi nila, ano ang magagawa natin,” he added.

But asked categorically if the two officials were wrong, he said, “Draw your own conclusion.”

Pressed further that Cabinet officials have been issuing conflicting statements on the matter, Panelo said: “As far as the President is concerned, that’s the position. We have only one position. If what is the position of the President, then that’s the position.”

Asked if he will talk to the Cabinet officials to clarify the confusion, he said:  “Just listen to the President. That’s just it.”

“Ang pakinggan niyo yung Presidente. Kung ano ‘yung sinabi ni Presidente, ‘yun na ‘yun,” Panelo added.

In his public speeches, however, Duterte has not categorically said that his verbal fishing deal with Xi was “legally binding.”

The issue on foreign fishermen trawling within the Philippines’ EEZ became a hot topic after the June 9 sinking of a Filipino boat by a Chinese vessel at the Recto Bank in the West Philippines Sea.

China continues to assert its claim in almost all of the South China Sea despite a 2016 arbitral ruling invalidating Beijing’s nine-dash line.

As far as China is concerned, Panelo said they “own the entire South China Sea and they are in possession” of the controversial ocean.

He again slammed detractors of Duterte for criticizing the President’s stance, allowing China to fish in the Philippines’ EEZ.

“Sabi nga ni Presidente kagabi eh, ‘Ang problema kasi sa mga hindi nakakaintindi ng sinsasabi ko, hindi nila naiintindihan. Did you allow?” Anong klaseng tanong nga naman ‘yung did you allow’,” he said, quoting the President.

“Paano mo i-a-allow eh andoon na nga sila eh. Kaya nga nag-uusap tayo na ‘wag tayo magkasakitan,” he added. (Editor: Katherine G. Adraneda)