Philippines Should Draw Up Its Map to Protest Its Spratly Claim

He expressed dismay that the House was unable to pass
its version of the bill delineating the archipelagic
baselines to include the Kalayaan Islands and
Scarborough Shoal before the Lenten break due to the
intervention of Malacañang.

Malacañang called for a postponement of the passage of
the bill and for its recommitment to the committee on
foreign affairs to incorporate amendments proposed by
the Commission on Maritime and Ocean Affairs under the
Office of the President.

The Palace’s move came after Beijing sent a note to
Manila stating that the passage of the bill putting
“the Scarborough Shoal and some other Nansha (Spratly)
reefs and islands inside the baseline of the
Philippines will not be conducive to stability… (and
will) also disturb China-Philippine cooperation in the
area.”

Pimentel bewailed the Arroyo administration’s lack of
transparency in pursuing the agreement on the marine
seismic study in the South China Sea, originally
signed by the Philippine and China in 2004.

He said he was with the presidential party to
represent the opposition when President Gloria
Macapagal Arroyo traveled to Beijing in 2004 to
witness the signing of the agreement. But he and other
legislators were kept out of the signing ceremonies.

“We were only told that this was one of the bilateral
agreements signed. But we never saw a copy of the
agreement,” the minority leader said.

Pimentel said the original purpose of the agreement on
the joint seismic undertaking may be good especially
in terms of preventing a possible outbreak of
hostilities among the claimant-countries over the
Spratly islands.

However, he said he was deeply alarmed when it later
on turned out that the seismic study will cover large
areas covered by Philippine territory, and even as far
as the seas near Palawan and which are being unclaimed
by the other parties in the South China Sea
territorial dispute.
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