PHL gov't urged to overcome fear of war with China

The Philippine government must overcome its "self-restraining fears" with regards to the possibility of war with China over the territorial dispute on the West Philippine Sea, a maritime law expert said Wednesday.

At a forum in Makati City marking the first anniversary of The Hague ruling favoring the Philippines' case against China, Dr. Jay Batongbacal said the Philippines' fear that China might engage it in a war is unfounded.

"China did not go to war with Vietnam when they started drilling [in disputed territory], so the Philippine government must overcome its own self-restraining fears," said Batongbacal, director of the UP Institute for Maritime Affairs and Law of the Sea.

President Rodrigo Duterte, who has set aside the decision of the Permanent Court of Arbitration for a friendlier approach to China and the territorial dispute issue, had earlier warned that Beijing would go to war if the Philippines drilled for oil in the disputed South China Sea.

During Wednesday's forum, Batongbacal also noted that the Philippines is giving way too much access to China in the resource-rich waters.

"If you control access, you control the sea," he said. "Right now what we see here is a lot of access for the part of China, where on the other hand, the Philippines is in a way, giving up access."

"I wonder if people notice that we are no longer exploring for petroleum, whereas China's activities are expanding extensively," Batongbacal added.

While he commended the government's move to open lines of communication with China, he said the Philippines has to do more than just prevent conflict.

Batongbacal said the government must have resolve and begin pushing back to gain control of the West Philippine Sea.

"We must engage in order to protect our minimum interest in the West Philippine Sea. That is what I don't see in this over accommodation of China's activities and interest in that area," he said.

"Engage, push back. Slowly and surely we have to establish own control in these areas," Batongbacal added. —KBK, GMA News