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By Jefferson Antiporda, Reporter
Armed Forces Chief of Staff
Hermogenes Esperon Jr. on Monday
said President Gloria Arroyo plans to visit the Kalayaan Group of
Islands soon.
The Kalayaan, located off the
western coast of Palawan, is part of the disputed Spratly Islands, a
group of about 100 islands or reefs that is being claimed in part or
in whole by the Philippines, China, Taiwan, Malaysia and Vietnam.
In press conference at the
Western Command headquarters in Puerto Princesa, Palawan, Esperon
said the President is expected to visit the area soon.
Controversy continues to hound
the Spratlys because of the Joint Marine Seismic Undertaking (JMSU)
entered into by the Philippines with China and Vietnam.
The agreement was signed in 2004
without concurrence from the Senate, which is now conducting an
inquiry into alleged irregularities in the national broadband deal
between China and the Arroyo government.
The Philippine government
maintained that the seismic undertaking is aboveboard and does not
weaken its claim to part of the Spratlys. The government argues that
the agreement is simply a joint evaluation of the marine resources
potential in the area claimed by the three participating countries,
and limited only to scientific purposes.
Esperon said when he informed the
President about his plan to go to Kalayaan, she told him that she
wants to come along.
“She even scolded me, because I
did not inform her earlier,” Esperon added.
He said the Western Command
troops are on alert, as Mrs. Arroyo might arrive there anytime.
Expert opinion sought
Senate President Manuel Villar
Jr. wants an expert’s opinion about the Joint Marine Seismic
Undertaking.
“I believe the agreement is a
highly technical concern requiring an expert opinion using accepted
scientific methodology,” said Villar, who wrote to Dr. Maria
Lourdes San Diego-McGlone, director of the University of the
Philippines (UP) Marine Science Institute on March 17, 2008 for an
opinion.
“I am confident given the
recognized reputation of the institute and the vast researches
conducted in the areas of marine science, physical oceanography,
marine geology, chemistry and related disciplines, UP experts will
be able to provide us guidance on how to examine this agreement,”
he said.
Specifically, Villar wants to
know the nature of a marine seismic undertaking, and whether this is
a pre-exploratory activity or already an exploration process.
“Determination of the activity
as pre-exploration or exploration puts to rest a lot of questions,
including the constitutionality of this agreement done without the
knowledge of Congress,” he explained.
Villar cited Article XII Section
2 of the Constitution, which states that the President shall notify
the Congress of every contract entered into with foreign-owned
corporations involving either technical or financial assistance for
large-scale exploration.
“We want to know whether or not
the marine seismic undertaking is equivalent to mapping, and thus, a
purely pre-exploratory activity or is it an exploration process per
se,” he said. “Let the experts tell us if seismic sounding is
considered an integral part of the exploitation of the country’s
natural resources.”
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