MANILA, Philippines—The issue of which committee will take the lead in a proposed Senate inquiry into the search for oil in the Spratlys has become almost as contentious as the territorial dispute over the disputed South China Sea islands.

Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago Monday insisted that her committee, foreign relations, lead the probe of the controversial Joint Marine Seismic Undertaking (JMSU) involving the Philippines, China and Vietnam.

Critics of the accord claim the JMSU encroaches not only on the Philippines’ claims to parts of the Spratlys but also on its own territory off the coast of Palawan.

Sen. Panfilo Lacson has endorsed his resolution calling for a probe to the committee of defense led by Sen. Rodolfo Biazon.

But Biazon himself was unsure whether his committee was the proper lead panel since the issue also involves constitutional matters (which would affect the committee chaired by Sen. Richard Gordon) and anomalies (which would involve the blue ribbon committee).

Senate President Manuel Villar and Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano, for their part, want the Spratlys probe integrated into the ongoing national broadband network (NBN) probe being led by the blue ribbon committee.

This is because the JMSU accord triggered nearly $2 billion in official development assistance loans from China to the Philippines, with the NBN project among the beneficiaries.

Wary of Santiago

Cayetano would not say why some senators were wary of Santiago of taking the lead in the investigation, although Villar had already cited as reasons her ties to the administration and her hectic schedule overseas.

Santiago is campaigning for a seat in the International Court of Justice.

Santiago’s proposal to start the probe on April 28 (when Congress resumes its session after a Lenten break) was seen by some opposition senators as a delaying tactic since the issue would have lost its momentum after more than a month.

Biazon has proposed that the Senate tackle the Spratlys issue as a “committee of the whole.”

Enrile proposal

Sen. Francis Pangilinan said that considering the many issues involve—such as diplomatic relations, national security matters, energy and environment and public accountability —“we may have to look at convening the committee of the whole.”

But Senators Edgardo Angara and Juan Ponce Enrile said that this would only hamstrung the operations of the Senate, at the expense of its main duty of making laws.

Enrile proposed that the Spratlys probe be lodged with the committee on the environment, led by Sen. Pia Cayetano.

Villar has said he will consult his colleagues in the rules committee before making a decision on which committee should lead the investigation.

Mañalac, Romulo

Former Philippine National Oil Co. president Eduardo Mañalac heads the list of the invitees to the House of Representatives on Thursday after the chamber decided to conduct an investigation into the JMSU accord.

Cebu Rep. Antonio Cuenco, chair of the House committee on foreign affairs, said Mañalac and Foreign Secretary Alberto Romulo topped the list of resource persons in the hearing.

It was Mañalac who signed the three-nation oil research agreement.

Cuenco said his committee in its first hearing on Thursday would look into the alleged “sellout” of territorial integrity and patrimony.

“[We have to have a copy of] the original contract. Until now, we don’t have a copy of the contract. What we have are excerpts,” Cuenco said in an interview.

Cuenco said the agreement would show if there were any violations of the Constitution and of any Philippine laws.

It might also show who the persons were who might be held liable if violations had been committed.