Spratly Deals Cover 6 Philippine Islands

The agreement states that China and the Philippines had held “pre-exploration activity” with “a view of engaging in a joint research of petroleum resource potential of certain areas of the South China Sea.”

Sources at the Department of Foreign Affairs said the original agreement, which was pushed aggressively by then Speaker Jose de Venecia, stipulated “exploration.”

But then Acting Justice Secretary and now Ombudsperson Merceditas Gutierrez objected, warning that it would be unconstitutional.

The Constitution provides that “the exploration, development, and utilization of natural resources shall be under the full control and supervision of the State.”

Gutierrez dropped her objection when at the last minute, the word “exploration” was deleted and replaced with “seismic study,” DFA sources said.

Robles said a seismic study is done only when the agencies involved have previously gathered data that pinpointed where they would drill. “That means they are already in the last stage of their undertaking,” he said.

Itu Aba, the largest island in the disputed area

Opposition senators Panfilo Lacson, Antonio Trillanes IV and Jamby Madrigal have sought an inquiry into the agreements which, they said, is tantamount to treason.

Paranaque Rep. Roilo Golez has also called for an investigation at the House of Representatives to make sure that the agreements do not place national interest “in jeopardy.”

Lacson and other opposition leaders cited reports that the Spratlys deal was tied to the $8 billion projects to be financed with loans from China, including North Rail, South Rail, National Broadband Network and Cyber-Education deals.

De Venecia has denied any connection between the agreements and the release of Chinese loans to the Philippines. He reiterated the deals were designed to turn “an area of potential conflict into a zone of peace and development.”

Foreign Secretary Alberto Romulo, on the other hand, has said the agreements with China and Vietnam are not only consistent with the Philippine Constitution and the 2002 ASEAN-China Declaration on the Conduct of parties on the South China Sea but also “manifest responsible diplomacy to ease tension and promote confidence building in a region where, as noted in the article, the issue of sovereignty of the Spratly islands remains a potential ‘flashpoint.’”

(VERA Files is the work of senior journalists taking a deeper look at current issues. Vera is the Latin equivalent of “true.”)