WPS advocates challenge Duterte’s joint oil exploration ties with China
Saipan
August 16, 2018
Why China? Why give a sweet deal to a territorial bully? - These are the nagging questions that the global advocates for the territorial sovereignty of the West Philippine Sea want the Duterte administration to explain after recent pronouncements from Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano explicitly stated that the Philippines will venture into a joint oil a joint oil exploration project with China.
Cainta, Rizal, Philippines-The National Youth Movement for West Philippine Sea ( NYMWPS) Philippines celebrated the 2nd anniversary of the victory of the Philippines against China at the UN Arbitral Tribunal at The Hague, Netherlands.
Guam: July 12,2018-Dr. Celia Lamkin, NYMWPS Founder and Global Chairperson, holds the poster asking China to abide by the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea ( UNCLOS) since the Philippines won at the UN Arbitral Tribunal at The Hague, Netherlands against China on July 12, 2016 .
In an August 7, 2018 press conference, Cayetano shared that a preliminary agreement has been made with China based on the diplomatic principle of “let us cooperate first, and let us talk about who owns what, who has jurisdiction, later on.”
“What is utmost disturbing in Mr. Cayetano’s statements is his seeming disregard of the decision of the arbitral tribunal in The Hague,“ continued Dr. Lamkin. Cayetano has been quoted to refer to the Philippines' sovereign rights, or its rights over the West Philippine Sea, as mere "claims."
This sentiment is echoed by Atty. Ted Laguatan, the group’s legal adviser.
Saipan, CNMI - On July 12, 2018, the NYMWPS CNMI chapter celebrated the 2nd anniversary of the victory of the Philippines against China at the UN Arbitral Tribunal by protesting China’s militarization and invasion of the artificial islands they created in the West Philippine Sea .
“The arbitral tribunal in its decision has already upheld the Philippines' rights over the West Philippine Sea,” emphasized Atty. Laguatan. He added that the decision has affirmed the Philippines’ rights to the West Philippine Sea which is covered by the country’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ), a 200-nautical mile area within which it has exclusive rights to explore and exploit marine resources including oil.
Going into partnerships in oil exploration is a non-issue with the group, acknowledging the fact that such project is capital and technology extensive.
Dr. Lamkin and her group are reacting to the recent pronouncements of the Foreign Affairs Secretary that the Philippine government has formed a working group with China to draft a framework for at least a 60-40 collaboration for the exploration of the reportedly oil-rich West Philippine Sea.
Rome, Italy. - The National Youth Movement for West Philippine Sea ( NYMWPS) EUROPE celebrated the 2nd anniversary of the victory of the Philippines against China at the UN Arbitral Tribunal at The Hague, Netherlands.
Former Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) and Bases Conversion and Development Authority ( BCDA) Chairman Felicito Payumo, the group’s Honorary Chairperson for Bataan and Western Luzon Chapters, shared that the Philippines has already a framework with which it could base the agreement from. “The Malampaya project is a joint undertaking of the Philippine government and the private sector,” Mr. Payumo underscored.
The Malampaya oil exploration project is spearheaded by the Department of Energy, and joint-venture partners Chevron Malampaya LLC and PNOC Exploration Corp. Under the service contract agreement, 70 percent of the gross proceeds from the sale of natural gas goes to the contractor to recover the investment cost; and remaining 30 percent is shared by the government and the consortium on a 60-40 basis, respectively.
“Come to think of it, why should it be with China or a Chinese entity alone? Why not secure the best terms for us by talking to other countries or companies, just like with Shell (and the other joint venture partners) with Malampaya?” Mr. Payumo added.
This seeming “sweet deal” as gleaned from the statements of Secretary Cayetano is seen by the group as a move to favor China more than the Philippines.
“Cayetano (and Duterte) are acting like agents of China in favoring its interest over that of the Filipino people; and we must not allow this to happen,” expressed Atty. Laguatan.
NYMWPS spearheaded the rally attended by Scarborough Shoal Fishermen in Masinloc, Zambales during the victory of the Philippines against China at the UN Arbitral Tribunal on July 12,2016
Mr. Joe Bacero, the group’s Dubai Chapter Chairperson is alarmed that with this move, we are tolerating China’s territorial rights bullying instead of asserting what is rightfully ours. “China has disrespected us straight after Manila brought the case to arbitration in 2013. It launched a massive island-building, land reclamation and militarization in the West Philippine Sea. Now, shall we offer this obviously ‘in-their-favor’ deal in a silver platter, without regard to our sovereignty?” Mr. Bacero stated.
“The Philippines should not allow China to practically have control and leverage over the entire West Philippine Sea in this 60/40 deal. By giving China authority to use her specialized equipment and the technical personnel who will explore, develop, exploit and be in charge of sharing these resources - the Philippines can easily be subjected to bully tactics which China can and will utilize if needed,” said Atty. Laguatan.
Laguatan expressed his concern that the country is at the losing end of the bargain in this joint venture. “The Philippines must look after its own interest in dealing with China and other countries. With China, most especially, we cannot and should not assume that it is trustworthy and in good faith in its dealings.”
He made reference to the economic dealings of China with other third world countries. “China is known to resort to opaque contracts which make third world countries dependent on her. This has been the experience of eight countries who are now vulnerable to China’s dominance or influence over their countries: Djibouti, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Lao, Maldives, Mongolia, Pakistan, Montenegro,” he added.
Just like the Malampaya project, Laguatan believes that it would be in the best interest of the Philippines if it sets its sight beyond China, exploring the possibilities of having local companies take care of the financial aspect of the exploration and hiring the best technical experts from the United Kingdom, the United States and other countries in exploring and utilizing the vast resources in the West Philippine Sea.
July 8, 2018-NYMWPS Tokyo chapter protest rally against China’s invasion and militarization of the West Philippine Sea
NYMWPS poses what could be an eye-opener to the many Filipinos who remain to be fence sitters in this very important issue. It challenges the government to reveal the fine print of the agreements because the devil could be in the details. The Philippines should not sideline the screaming reality that China’s dealings with other countries have ruined their economies. And the same could also happen to the Philippines.
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Author Dr. Celia Lamkin, MD:
Global Chair and Founder National Youth Movement for the West Philippine Sea (NYMWPS )