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By Katrice R. Jalbuena, Reporter
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA)
insists that the 2004 Joint Marine Seismic Undertaking (JMSU)
between the Philippines, China and Vietnam is aboveboard.
In a statement, the DFA said that the JMSU
“does not impinge on the sovereignty and territorial integrity of
the Philippines” and is basically scientific in nature, intended
to map vital natural resources in the Spratlys.
The agreement is allegedly a joint evaluation of
the marine resources potential in the area claimed by the
participating countries and is limited to scientific services.
The statement is a rejoinder to reports
published in the Far Eastern Economic Review (FEER) stating that the
zone designated by the JMSU covers a vast tract of ocean off Palawan
near the gas-producing fields of Malampaya. Included in the deal
is an undisputed area claimed by the Philippines as part of its
territory.
By including the undisputed area in the
agreement, the article implied that the deal was a sell-out on the
part of the Philippines and would affect the sovereignty claims of
the three countries involved in the deal—the Philippines, China
and Vietnam.
The article quoted the impressions from a
certain Mark Valencia, allegedly an independent expert on the South
China Sea.
Besides China, the Philippines and Vietnam,
three other countries have claims on the Spratlys. These are Brunei
Darussalam, Taiwan, and Malaysia.
The DFA also said the JMSU is “consistent with
the provisions” of the Asean-China Declaration on the Conduct
(DOC) of Parties in the South China Sea signed by the 10 Asean
countries and China.
The DOC was signed in 2002 to reduce tension
among claimants to the Spratlys by maintaining status quo and
temporarily putting ownership issues on hold in the area. It also
prohibits any activity that might escalate the situation.
The JMSU, as signed by the three countries, is a
considered a landmark agreement that affirms the political
commitment of the three claimant-states to resolve their disputes in
the South China Sea in a peaceful and constructive manner.
“Any activity beyond scientific surveys would
be subject to further consultation and agreement among the
participants and would have to conform with [the Philippine]
Constitution and laws, as well as the DOC,” stressed the DFA
statement.
Recent reports have called attention to a
possible “sell-out” of the Philippine claim over the Spratly
Islands.
The United Opposition (UNO) has asked the Senate
to urgently act on a bill filed by detained Sen. Antonio Trillanes
4th to investigate the so-called Spratly Deal said to be
surreptitiously entered into by the Arroyo administration with China
in exchange for loans.
Makati Mayor and UNO President Jejomar Binay
said if Mrs. Arroyo had indeed signed the deal allowing China to
explore Philippine territorial waters, “she has given away our
sovereignty to a foreign power in exchange for loans that are the
source of multimillion-peso kickbacks and a campaign war chest for
the 2010 elections.”
“The so-called Spratly Deal is a matter of
serious concern not only for the Senate, but for all Filipinos. If
Mrs. Arroyo had indeed entered into such an agreement with China,
then it clearly shows a regime whose greed is beyond moderation,”
he said.
“If such a deal had been signed, it becomes
clear to everyone that the Arroyo administration is willing to
surrender our sovereignty for the chance to get kickbacks and build
a formidable war chest for whoever will be the anointed candidate in
2010,” he said.
Should the presidential elections push through
in 2010, the opposition leader said “the administration candidate
will be funded by money that was exchanged for [with] our
sovereignty.”
Binay said a Senate probe would put the ZTE-NBN
scandal, and the NorthRail and SouthRail projects, both claimed to
be tainted by anomalies involving Mrs. Arroyo, her husband and their
cronies, in proper perspective.
“The Senate would no longer need to hold
separate probes into the statement of Jun Lozada that the NorthRail
and SouthRail deals were also tainted by corruption since these
could be investigated as part of a probe into the so-called Spratly
Deal,” he said.
Trillanes had asked the Senate to investigate
the Spratly Deal, first exposed by Malaya publisher Amado Macasaet.
Quoting Macasaet, Trillanes said Mrs. Arroyo
might have committed treason if she signed the deal that would allow
China to explore territorial waters, and exploit the country’s
exclusive economic zones.
These are already contained in a memorandum of
agreement signed between the Department of Trade and Industry and
ZTE International in January 2007, in exchange for four projects
that would cost around $4 billion.
Macasaet had said officials of the Philippine
Navy and the Department of Foreign Affairs who raised the question
of sovereignty were ignored.
The Chinese were also tying-up the Spratly Deal
with other loans to the Philippine government, refusing to sign the
NorthRail agreement unless signed alongside the Spratly Deal, he
added.
China is also financing the $329-million NBN
deal with ZTE, the $500-million NorthRail project and the
$932-million SouthRail project.
The CyberEd project of the Department of
Education, costing $465 million, was supposed to be financed also by
Chinese loans.
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