DOE to study implications of SC decision on JMSU with China, Vietnam

Published March 19, 2023 11:01 PM By JON VIKTOR D. CABUENAS, GMA Integrated News

The Department of Energy (DOE) over the weekend said it will study the decision and implications of the Supreme Court (SC) ruling that the Joint Marine Seismic Undertaking (JMSU) with China and Vietnam was void and unconstitutional.

In a statement, DOE Undersecretary Alessandro Sales said it will look into the decision, and coordinate with the necessary agencies on how to move forward with the ruling.

“The DOE will work closely with the Office of the Solicitor-General and the Department of Justice in determining the next steps to be taken on the matter,” he said.

A decision promulgated by the SC on January 10, 2023 found unconstitutional

the JMSU in the Agreement Area in the South China Sea, as it allowed wholly-owned foreign corporations to explore the country’s natural resources.

The JMSU—which was entered into in 2005 and expired in 2008—was an agreement by the Philippine National Oil Company (PNOC), the China National Offshore Oil Corp., and the Vietnam Oil Gas Corp., involving 142,886 square kilometers of the South China Sea.

The case stemmed from a petition filed by then Bayan Muna Party-List representatives Satur Ocampo and Teodoro Casiño, arguing that the JMSU was illegal as it violated the 1987 Constitution which reserves the exploration, development, and utilization of natural resources to Filipinos or corporations which are 60% owned by Filipinos.

The DOE last November amended a section of the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) of the Renewable Energy (RE) Act of 2008, allowing foreign investors or companies to engage in the exploration, development, and utilization of Philippine renewable energy sources. — BM, GMA Integrated News

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