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[av_heading heading=’Bully in our backyard and front yard ‘ tag=’h3′ style=’blockquote modern-quote’ size=” subheading_active=’subheading_below’ subheading_size=’15’ padding=’10’ color=” custom_font=” av-medium-font-size-title=” av-small-font-size-title=” av-mini-font-size-title=” av-medium-font-size=” av-small-font-size=” av-mini-font-size=” admin_preview_bg=”]
EDITORIAL
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January 16, 2018
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IS CHINA doing in Benham Rise the same modus operandi it used in 2005 that jeopardized the Philippines’ claim in the Recto Reed Bank in the disputed Spratly Islands?
The government has decided to allow Chinese oceanographers to conduct studies in Philippine waters. This was one of the methods China previously used under the Joint Marine Seismic Undertaking (JMSU) with the then Arroyo administration. Through the JMSU, China was able to discover and confirm the enormous reserves of natural gas in Recto Reed Bank, where one field already holds about 2.7 trillion to 3.4 trillion cubic feet of the valuable resource.
Now, China is very zealous in taking over these rich natural gas deposits as evidenced by its aggressive stance in the area.
In 2008, party-list Bayan Muna petitioned the Supreme Court to void the Tripartite Agreement for JMSU in the West Philippine Sea among the Philippine National Oil Co., China National Offshore Oil Corp., and the Vietnam Oil and Gas Corp. With the JMSU, the Arroyo administration effectively sold out the country to the Chinese, who were granted an unbridled access in our maritime territory, especially the gathering of valuable data on natural gas deposits in our territories like the Recto Reed Bank. The Philippines has no more control and supervision over the exploration of our petroleum and other mineral oils under the JMSU Tripartite Agreement; this should not happen again, says Bayan Muna’s Cong. Carlos Isagani Zarate.
Indeed, while we are for the peaceful resolution of our maritime dispute with China, we must, however, be wary of these disadvantageous and onerous joint exploration agreements. We have a bad experience with the JMSU, where our country was placed in a very a disadvantageous position, as what happened during the Arroyo administration. If we fail to learn from that experience, the same is bound to happen again in the case of Benham Rise, another potentially resource-rich area east of our country.
Any future joint exploration with China must protect the interest of the Filipino people and should contribute to the country’s economic development. It must also recognize our territorial integrity and sovereignty.
The revered Associate Justice Antonio Carpio has a question worth pondering about the matter: “If a bully has squatted on your front yard and requests to look at your backyard, would you grant the request of the bully?”
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