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[av_heading heading=’Deliberate inutility’ tag=’h3′ style=’blockquote modern-quote’ size=” subheading_active=’subheading_below’ subheading_size=’15’ padding=’10’ color=” custom_font=”][/av_heading]
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Wednesday, March 22, 2017
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PRESIDENT Duterte has always been presenting himself as a champion of independent foreign policy. When it comes to international relations, he says his priority would be to uphold our national sovereignty, the interests and integrity of our nation and its territory. But his words amount to nothing if he could not back it with action.
Only recently, he admitted giving China the permission to navigate Benham Rise without the consent and knowledge of his Defense and Foreign Affairs secretaries. The Benham Rise is an underwater plateau located near Aurora province. A part of the Philippines’ continental shelf, it is potentially rich of resources such as gas and heavy metals.
The President speaks of disgust whenever he talks about leaders preceding him that has become lackeys to the US. But is he any different? He has no qualms demonstrating this but he has his tail tucked between his legs upon the mere prospect of displeasing China. He allowed China to conduct research activities in Benham Rise.
The Chinese have already used similar tactics. Their presence in Benham Rise is undeniably parallel to what they have conducted in the Spratly islands. Then, they used the Joint Marine Seismic Understanding (JMSU) they entered with the previous Arroyo administration as front to claim the area and build permanent structures within it. Now, they are utilizing provisions of international law, including the United Nations Convention on the law of the Sea to legitimize their presence at Benham Rise.
Under international law, the Benham Rise is a part of our extended continental shelf, granting us “sovereign rights” over the area. It is ridiculous to believe that the Chinese vessels spotted in the area were only exercising innocent passage — they were surveying the area for three months. Duterte’s deliberate inutility over Chinese incursions and his conscious impotence to take a stand against a foreign power exploiting our own territory and resources is unacceptable.
In 2008, Bayan Muna party-list filed a case with the Supreme Court to declare the JMSU and similar practices and agreements unconstitutional but the high court is yet to decide on the case. With these recent actions of China, the Supreme Court should resolve the JMSU case fast.
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