Philippines President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. (left) and Chinese President Xi Jinping | REUTERS file photo
MANILA, Philippines — Transparency, sincerity, and recognition of the 2016 arbitral ruling should be upheld, if the Philippines and China pursue the exploration of oil and gas in the West Philippine Sea, senators said on Thursday.
The senators’ comments came after the Philippines and China agreed to resume oil and gas exploration negotiations.
“If and when the negotiations push through, we expect and we will demand from both sides to be 100 percent transparent. The purpose of transparency is for us to know if the agreement is compliant with our Constitution,” Pimentel said in a statement.
For the senator, “transparency is crucial” for such discussions to prosper, especially that the Philippines has claims over the West Philippine Sea.
“It is key to gain the support and confidence of the Filipino people and erase any doubts that the government is compromising and giving up our rights over the West Philippine Sea,” Pimentel pointed out.
Meanwhile, Senator Loren Legarda welcomed the development on the disputed sea, but she said that the arbitral ruling must be acknowledged.
“Dialogue and friendly relations with any country are always welcome news. While such talks must be approached with open minds, they must be premised on the 2016 Arbitral Award validating our maritime rights, the rights of our fisherfolk and our benefits from our exclusive economic zone,” she said in a message to reporters.
Legarda added that compensation for the damage on marine resources in the country’s territory should be provided.
Aside from China, the lady senator said that collaboration with other nations must also be studied.
“We must also check to see all the alternatives, other potential partnerships, if what is offered is really needed as well as consider the increasing role of China in the world stage,” Legarda said.
Ejercito, on the other hand, said that he finds it hard to trust the Chinese government.
“They always claim that we are friends, that we are allies, partners but, on the other hand, they keep on encroaching on our territorial waters,” he said in an interview at the Senate.
“So, I think, para sa akin, they have to show sincerity first and regain our trust. Ako, personally, I find it very hard to trust the Chinese government. Hindi naman ako galit sa mga Tsino. It’s just the government that’s very difficult to trust kasi parang ‘di sila nagsasabi ng totoo,” Ejercito explained.
(So, I think, for me, they have to show sincerity first and regain our trust. Personally, I find it very hard to trust the Chinese government. I’m not angry at Chinese people. It’s just the government that’s very difficult to trust because it seems like they are not telling the truth.)
Last year, then president Rodrigo Duterte ordered the termination of negotiations for the planned joint oil and gas exploration by the Philippines and China.
READ: PH ends talks for joint oil, gas search with China in WPS
Former Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin noted that the talks spanned for three years yet they “had not achieved our objective of developing oil and gas resources so critical for the Philippines.”
The Philippines has exclusive sovereign rights over the West Philippine Sea in the South China Sea while Beijing’s nine-dash line claim in the entire South China Sea was declared invalid by the 2016 ruling of the Permanent Court of Arbitration.