Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, December 1) — President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. on Thursday said Beijing’s refusal to acknowledge Manila’s rights over the West Philippine Sea impedes talks on a possible joint oil and gas exploration in the area.
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) earlier said Marcos and Chinese President Xi Jinping have expressed their desire to restart discussions on the joint venture after these were terminated in the latter part of the Duterte administration.
However, Marcos recognized that the process won’t be easy, given the two countries’ clashing claims.
“Ang talagang nangyari dyan (termination) is what, kasi kini-claim ng China kanila ‘yun, eh atin naman talaga ‘yan…So, ‘yun talaga ang roadblock do’n,” the President told reporters after an event in Quezon City. “Mahirap makita kung papaano natin aayusin ‘yun.”
[Translation: What really happened was that it was because China claims the area even when it is ours….So, that’s the real roadblock there. It’s hard to see how we can fix that.]
China continues to reject a 2016 landmark ruling by an international arbitral tribunal in The Hague which invalidated its sweeping claims over the South China Sea, including the West Philippine Sea, and which recognized the Philippines’ sovereign rights to areas within its exclusive economic zone.
Despite this, Marcos said his administration will study ways to pursue the exploration for oil and gas in the contested waters. These resources, he added, are more important for the Philippines than for China.
“I think there might be other ways para hindi gawing G2G (government-to-government), or I don’t know, we’ll have to find a way. Kasi kailangan na natin eh,” he said.
“‘Yung China, hindi naman, maliit na bagay sa kanila ‘yun eh,” he continued. “Sa atin, malaking bagay ‘yan, so kailangan natin ipaglaban at mapakinabangan kung meron ngang oil talaga.”
In 2018, the two countries signed a memorandum of understanding on the joint exploration.
However, in June this year, the DFA announced the termination of talks, saying the goal of developing the oil and gas resources was not achieved.
[Translation: I think there might be other ways besides the G2G talks, or I don’t know, we’ll have to find a way, because we need it. It’s a small thing for China, unlike for us, so we really need to fight for it and take advantage of it, if there is indeed oil.]
