Trillanes fears PHL-China oil deal will cover non-disputed areas

The clause "relevant maritime areas" in the supposed draft of the memorandum of understanding on joint oil and gas exploration between the Philippines and China should be of particular concern, Senator Antonio Trillanes IV said Thursday.

Speaking about the draft, Trillanes, in an interview on News To Go, said, "Mayroon tayong mga concerns doon, primarily nung hindi dinesignate yung mga areas na iko-cover ng joint exploration."

"Kasi du'n sa nakita nating draft na ginawa ng China, ang nakalagay po doon ay 'relevant maritime areas.' Ang dapat po dito ay 'yung 'disputed maritime areas' lang du'n sa ilang overlapping maritime zones dun sa Kalayaan Island group," he added.

He said some areas in the West Philippine Sea specifically those near Luzon are clearly "100 percent" Philippine territory as ruled by the The Hague-based Permanent Court of Arbitration, and therefore should not be part of any joint exploration with other countries.

"Itong Scarborough area, itong dito sa may Luzon na side ng West Philippine Sea, ito ay maliwanag na atin na ito at nabigyan na ng desisyon ng arbitral tribunal kaya hindi na puwedeng makipagsosyo tayo kahit kanino rito kundi dapat 100% atin 'yan," Trillanes said.

Trillanes is one of the senators who vowed to scrutinize the joint maritime oil and gas exploration deal that was signed during Chinese President Xi Jinping's state visit to the Philippines on November 20 and 21.

Although he has not seen the actual deal, Trillanes said he is in possession of a "draft" where it was mentioned that the exploration will cover "relevant maritime areas."

The opposition senator also expressed doubt on the sincerity of the draft's Article V that said the exploration "shall not affect the respective position on sovereignty and maritime rights of the two parties."

"Sinulat 'yon, para nga pampakalma 'yan sa mga mag-uusisa," he said.

A vocal critic of the administration, Trillanes likened the deal with the Joint Marine Seismic Undertaking (JMSU) reached under the Arroyo administration where China supposedly gained the upper hand despite it being a tripartite agreement with the Philippines and Vietnam.

"Kahit na on paper parang patas, pero sa execution ay dehado ang Pilipinas," he said.

Trillanes served as a back-channel negotiator with the Philippines and China during the Aquino administration when the territorial rift involving the Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal emerged.

An international arbitration tribunal in The Hague in 2016 handed a sweeping victory for the Philippines on the lawsuit it filed against China over their South China Sea disputes. The tribunal invalidated Beijing's historical claims to nearly the entire South China Sea. —Jamil Santos/KBK, GMA News