Consent on joint probe into Recto Bank incident may be seen as waiver of EEZ rights —Lacson

President Rodrigo Duterte's acceptance of China's offer for a joint investigation into the Recto Bank incident may be interpreted as a waiver of our exclusive economic right over the marine area, Senator Panfilo Lacson said Sunday.

In a statement, Lacson said "the 2016 Hague ruling expressly states that Recto Bank is part of the Philippines' 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone (EEZ), and therefore cannot be claimed by China."

Lacson pointed out, "Allowing a joint investigation with China and a third party may be interpreted as a waiver of our right of ownership of Recto Bank."

Also, he said that while the intention of the Duterte administration to preserve our country's bilateral relations with China is laudable, "presumably for political and economic reasons in order to uplift the living standards of our people", the more important concerns on sovereignty and territorial integrity must be considered.

"At the very least, that must be clearly addressed during the conduct of the joint investigation," he added.

Last Saturday, Malacañang said Duterte has accepted the offer of China for a joint investigation with the Philippines on the June 9 ramming of a Filipino boat by a Chinese vessel in Recto Bank.

According to Duterte’s spokesperson Salvador Panelo, the President welcomed and accepted the offer “to determine what really transpired in Recto Bank and find a satisfactory closure to this episode.”

“To this end, the President wants the creation of a joint investigating committee that shall be composed of three groups of highly qualified and competent individuals, with Philippines and China having one representative each, and a third member coming from a neutral country,” Panelo said.

Having separate investigations by the two countries could raise speculation and accusation of bias, he added. —LBG/KG, GMA News