Set aside sovereignty issue to solve maritime dispute with China, says Ex-ISAFP chief

The Philippines should set aside the issue on sovereignty in negotiating with China to resolve the dispute and assert its rights in the West Philippine Sea, a retired military general and intelligence chief on Saturday said.

During the Saturday news forum in Quezon City,  former Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (ISAFP) chief Brig. Gen. Victor Corpus said the Philippines and China can never resolve its dispute over the two countries overlapping maritime claims in the next 100 or 1,000 years if sovereignty will not be put aside.

"When we negotiate with China let us agree that we set aside the issue of sovereignty because if sovereignty ang magiging topic natin sa negotiation, we willl never agree kahit na 100 taon o 1,000 taonmag negotiate," Corpus said.

Instead, the former ISAFP chief said both Manila and Beijing should talk about the issues it can agree with.

Corpus clarified that setting aside sovereignty does not necessarily mean the Philippines will not assert its rights and claims in the West Philippine Sea.

"Why don't we set the issue of sovereignty aside, okay 'yung claim mo hawakan mo, ganun din samin so hindi ka mapapahiya sa iyong constituency dahil hindi ka nag-surrender sakin... ganun din ako hindi rin ako mapapahiya sa taong bayan," he said.

The former ISAFP chief said the Philippines should take the opportunity of participating in China's "One Belt, One Road" initiative of reviving the ancient land and maritime silk roads, and eventually become the epicenter of economic development as gateway of Beijing to North and South Americas as well as Oceania and New Zealand. — MDM, GMA News