ON NATURAL GAS AND SPRATLYS. President Benigno Aquino III seeks Brunei’s help in developing the Philippines’ natural gas deposits and settling the overlapping claims to territories in the South China Sea. His visit includes a one-on-one talk with Brunei’s Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah at Nurul Iman Palace in Bandar Seri Begawan. AFP FILE PHOTOS
The two leaders also witnessed the signing of separate memorandums of understanding for cooperation and greater private-sector participation in developing shipping, tourism, agriculture and sports.
At a news briefing at the Rizqun Hotel here on Wednesday, Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma said Mr. Aquino had sought Brunei’s assistance in developing the Philippines’ infrastructure for natural gas.
“The President invited Brunei to look at developing [our] infrastructure for natural gas so that this can be used as the main fuel for transport in the Philippines. The two leaders agreed that a working group will be formed in order to flesh out the implementation of the agreement,” Coloma said.
Before leaving Manila, Mr. Aquino said he would be seeking Brunei expertise and investments in developing the Philippines’ substantial natural gas deposits so the country can fast-track the shift to compressed natural gas (CNG) fuel.
Mr. Aquino, who arrived here at 11 a.m. on Wednesday for two-day working visit, proceeded to the Istana Nurul Iman, the royal palace, where he was welcomed by a royal gun salute.
Bolkiah, members of the royal family, Brunei government ministers and members of the diplomatic corps lined the palace’s main hallway to welcome the President.
The Philippine delegation presented a dozen boxes of Philippine-made ice cream in different flavors, a royal favorite, to Bolkiah, according to embassy officials.
During their meeting, the two leaders “expressed a desire to maintain peace and stability” in the disputed Spratlys archipelago through multilateral dialogue with claimant countries, said Coloma.
Brunei and the Philippines are among six claimants to the reputedly oil-rich Spratlys island group in the South China Sea. The others in the six-cornered territorial dispute are fellow Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) members Malaysia and Vietnam, Taiwan and China. The latter claims the entire Spratlys archipelago.
According to Coloma, the Sultan said “it’s best to have good relations with China” even as the claimants pursue their territorial claims.
“The two leaders repeatedly [emphasized] the need for peaceful approaches and peaceful solutions,” Coloma said.
“The concept that the two leaders discussed is multilateral dialogue, participated in by Asean and all claimant countries and China in the spirit of cooperation,” he said.
Asked if Mr. Aquino mentioned recent incidents involving China in the Kalayaan island group in the Spratlys claimed by the Philippines, Coloma said Mr. Aquino only “alluded to certain challenges in the area”.
“The President simply told the sultan that, recently, there had been some developments in some areas that led us to be more purposive and determined in seeking peaceful cooperation and dialogue,” he said.
Two weeks ago, Mr. Aquino took up the issue of the Spratlys with visiting Chinese Defense Minister Liang Guanglie. The President warned that continued Chinese provocations in the disputed territories could provoke an arms race in the South China Sea region.
Earlier this week, China and Vietnam, traded warnings over the Spratlys. With a report from Norman Bordadora