Pamalakaya presses Marcos Jr. to drop joint oil, gas exploration plans with China

National flags are placed outside a room where Philippine Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez and China’s Commerce Minister Gao Hucheng address reporters after their meeting in Beijing, China, January 23, 2017. REUTERS/Damir Sagolj/Files

MANILA, Philippines – A fisherfolk group on Thursday called on President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to abandon plans of reviving joint oil and gas explorations with China in the West Philippine Sea, given the Supreme Court’s ruling that voided the country’s 2005 Joint Marine Seismic Undertaking (JMSU) with China and Vietnam.

Fernando Hicap, the national chairperson of the Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Pamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya), said the group welcomes the High Court’s unconstitutional ruling on JMSU.

READ: SC voids 2005 oil search deal; ruling lauded as ‘a warning to Marcos’

According to Hicap, the SC’s decision strengthens Pamalakaya’s plea for the Philippines and China to break off their efforts to revive their West Philippine Sea oil and gas deals.

In light of China’s continued incursions into Philippine waters, he stressed the Marcos administration’s duty to acknowledge and uphold this judgment.

“Wala nang dahilan ang administrasyong Marcos para hindi aktibong itaguyod ang ating pambansang soberanya,” Hicap stressed. “Ipinapakita nitong walang ligal na batayan ang anumang kasunduan na nagpapahintulot sa anumang bansa na galugarin, gamitin at higit sa lahat, abusuhin ang ating likas na yaman.”

(There’s no reason for the Marcos administration not actively to assert the country’s sovereignty. This showed that there is no legal basis for any agreement that allows any country to explore, use and, most importantly, abuse our natural resources.)

He also emphasized that the SC verdict confirms the country’s sovereignty over the disputed waters, adding depth to the 2016 Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) decision supporting Manila’s diplomatic complaint against Beijing’s expansive claims in South China, including the West Philippine Sea.

But even with the recent SC decision on the 2005 oil exploration agreement, China said it “remains committed to properly handle maritime disputes in the South China Sea with countries directly concerned, including the Philippines, through dialogue and consultation, and to actively explore ways for practice maritime cooperation, including joint exploration.”

READ: China affirms commitment to maritime cooperation amid SCS dispute

China and the Philippines agreed to jointly explore West Philippine Sea oil and gas reserves in 2018.

Then-Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. announced in June 2022 that then-President Rodrigo Duterte had called off the talks due to constitutional restrictions and sovereignty concerns.

READ: PH ends talks for joint oil, gas search with China in WPS

Last week, Chinese President Xi Jinping told Marcos during the latter’s visit to Beijing that China is ready to resume oil and gas talks with the Philippines.

He also vowed to find a “compromise” in addressing the plight of Filipino fishers in the contested waters. – with reports from Niña Cuasay, INQUIRER.net trainee

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/MUF/abc