MANILA – The oil and gas development deal the Philippines and China inked this week is only “an agreement to explore solutions,” Acting Chief Justice Antonio Carpio said Saturday, as he called for vigilance on the pact.
Manila and Beijing signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on oil and gas development during Chinese President Xi Jinping’s state visit to the Philippines earlier this week.
The pact covers the South China Sea, where the Philippines, China, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan are locked in a dispute. Carpio is a staunch advocate for the Philippines’ sovereignty in the waters.
“The MOU does not seed away anything. We do not give ground and we should be vigilant. It’s just an agreement to explore solutions,” Carpio told reporters on the sidelines of a forum in Taguig City.
Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr earlier described the deal as an “agreement to agree” that “will be without prejudice to the respective legal positions of both governments.”
The pact was among 29 deals signed during Xi’s 2-day visit to Manila that ended Wednesday.
Carpio said provisions of the agreement put the Philippines in a safe position given that Manila would authorize the enterprise that would represent it from those with service contracts in the area.
“Our vehicle are the service contractors. That’s fine because it is clear there that the Philippines has sovereign rights,” he said.
Still, Carpio insisted that any joint exploration activity that will be done in the disputed waters should be on Philippine terms.
“China proposed joint exploration [which] means partner kayo (you are partners), but in the Constitution, the state shall have full control and supervision,” he said.
Carpio was part of the Philippine team that in 2016 won an arbitration case against China for maritime rights in the resource-rich waters, which Beijing claims in near entirety.
The Philippines, under President Rodrigo Duterte, however, has refused to flaunt its victory and instead sought warmer ties with China, Asia’s largest economy. (ABS-CBN News)
