Carpio: PHL ‘safe’ with oil, gas deal with China

Acting Chief Justice Antonio Carpio said on Monday the memorandum of understanding (MOU) on cooperation on oil and gas development signed between the Philippines and China was "safe" for the country.

"It’s safe for us," Carpio told reporters in an ambush interview after attending a forum at the House of Representatives.

"We are negotiating with a military power, nuclear armed and they have their own interests. We try to protect our rights also and I think our sovereignty and sovereign rights are protected," he added.

Signed during the two-day state visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping in the Philippines, the MOU stated that both governments agreed to establish an intergovernmental joint steering committee to look into possible energy cooperation.

Carpio said the agreement merely aims to "explore solutions" which he said the government should welcome.

At the same time, Carpio said the arrangement was also beneficial to the Philippines because it recognizes that China would be tapped by the government as service contractor. 

"We have allowed foreigners to be service contractors and if that will settle the dispute, I’ve talked to scholars in other countries affected also by the nine-dash line, they said well that would be wonderful if China will be a service contractor," he said. —LDF, GMA News