THE recent ruling of the Supreme Court declaring the "Joint Marine Seismic Understanding (JMSU) among the Philippines, Vietnamese and Chinese oil firms" unconstitutional, is quite intriguing. It came a few days after the visit of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to China, where one of the landmark gains was the resumption of talks and negotiations on possible joint oil and gas exploration/cooperation in the Reed Bank (Recto Bank) in the disputed waters of the South China Sea (SCS), or the West Philippine Sea (WPS) as it is referred to in the Philippines.

Hence, the Supreme Court ruling on the JMSU may constrain the Marcos administration's pursuit of joint oil and gas cooperation with China. This ruling to some extent is akin to a "downer" or a "depressant" to the resurgent optimism and buoyancy as the Philippines and China resumed negotiations to actively explore ways for pragmatic maritime cooperation, including joint oil and gas exploration. Therefore, it begs the question, how will the Marcos government take this, and will this Supreme Court ruling affect the negotiations and talks on the possible joint oil and gas development and cooperation between the Philippines and China in the Reed Bank?

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