Press Release
March 11, 2008

Loren calls for sober discussion of Spratlys issue

Senator Loren Legarda called yesterday for a sober and intelligent discussion of Philippine sovereignty issues concerning the oil-rich Spratlys group of islands claimed by the Philippines, China, and Vietnam, among other nations.

"All efforts should be exerted so that the Spratlys would not be a flashpoint leading to regional disputes," said Legarda.

The senator issued the warning in the face of the heated statements being issued over the Joint Marine Seismic Undertaking (JMSU) forged by the Philippines with China and Vietnam in 2004.

"There is no valid reason to compromise Philippine sovereignty. However, it is still premature to draw any definitive conclusion about this deal. Let's look first at this agreement thoroughly," she said.

Legarda said the scheduling of the Senate investigation on the issue after the Holy Week break should "cool down things a bit."

"We're not yet through with the NBN controversy. And though the NBN is being tied with the Spratlys, I think the better approach would be to wrap up first the NBN probe," she said.

"Afterwards, we can look at the Spratlys issue on its own and as an allegedly intertwined matter with local soft-loan projects funded by China, including the NBN."

The RP-China undertakings Legarda referred to, aside from the NBN, were the cyber-education program and the North Rail and South Rail projects.

Legarda said that civility is the hallmark of intelligent discussions, especially on a matter such as the Spratlys which affects other countries.

"There is a diplomatic element here and we should be guided accordingly. There is no room here for rash and unfounded statements," she said.

But if the seismic undertaking will compromise Philippine sovereignty, Legarda said the country has no choice but to withdraw from it.

"Our sovereignty is not negotiable," she said.

"This is just a deal and not a treaty, but it should be illustrative enough of why the Senate is tasked to thoroughly look into before approving treaties entered into by the Philippines."

The Spratlys consist of more than 100 small islands or reefs surrounded by rich fishing grounds and potentially rich gas and oil deposits.

The first major Philippine oil discovery occurred off the coast of Palawan near the Spratlys territory in 1976. The fields are said to now account for 15 percent of all petroleum consumed in the Philippines.

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