The Philippine Online Chronicles

President Benigno Aquino III raised the possibility of joint gas explorations of the Spratly Islands, the controversial oil-rich area to which many countries including the Philippines, China, Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan and Vietnam lay claim.

“Look at Reed Bank [part of Spratly], the discovery there was sometime in the mid-’70s. By 2011, nobody is utilizing it. And it can be utilized now,” Aquino said. “But again we are not able to exploit it because of the disputes. Maybe a joint exploration could be good so we can resolve it.”

“The concept is how do we accelerate the pace whereby everybody gets to benefit from the resources regardless of which countries [are claiming it]. But first, of course, it has to be [raised with] the Association of Southeast Asian Nations [ASEAN],” he said.

Aquino is set to visit Indonesia this week to meet other ASEAN leaders.

Indonesian president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has also expressed support for the idea of turning the Spratly Islands into a “zone of cooperation” and not conflict among the claimant-nations.

“I’m sure it is open for opportunities for cooperation, and no doubt we will hope that the South China Sea does not become a place of open conflict, but in fact, become a zone of potential economic cooperation,” he said. “In my view, in Indonesia’s view, if there is an attainment on a solution that we can agree on the issues of territories, then that is my hope.”

Sensitive situation

Reed Bank, 250 kilometers west of Palawan, was also the site of the reported harassment of a Filipino oil exploration vessel by a pair of Chinese patrol ships. The Philippines has since filed a diplomatic protest over the incident, and sent Henry Bensurto, the secretary-general of the Commission on Maritime and Oceanic Affairs Secretariat, to Beijing to clarify matters.

In response, China has reiterated its claim over the Spratly Islands, with foreign ministry spokesperson Jiang Yu  telling reporters that, “China holds indisputable sovereignty over the South China Sea islands and their adjacent waters.”

“We have been committed to dialogue and consultation to properly solve the South China Sea dispute and work with relevant countries to safeguard peace and stability in the South China Sea,” she added. “We hope that other countries can respect and support efforts to peacefully resolve the disputes, to promote good neighborly friendship and peace and stability in the region.”

The situation remains sensitive due to the case of several Filipino drug convicts who were sentenced to death in China, whose situation may be affected by the Spratlys row.

“I cannot go into specifics,” said Aquino, when asked how the government would deal with the situation diplomatically. “As you know… for example, those in the death row, we were advised they will be executed. We go there, we negotiate, we ask for consideration, they granted it at least for the stay of the execution. We understand it’s not a common practice.”

“But more than anything, maybe the basic thing is we go back to talking,” Aquino said.

Former foreign affairs undersecretary and current University of the Philippines Law School professor Merlin Magallona has said that the Philippines was the wronged party in the harassment case.

“[The Philippines] should not have sent someone [to China] to explain. It should be the Chinese that should do the explaining. Why are we sending someone to explain to Beijing?” he said.

“The threat of force [by the two Chinese patrol ships] can be sufficient for a breach of international obligation under the United Nations charter,” he added.