Philippines’ oil deal won’t result in loss of territory in South China Sea

November 23, 2018

The Philippine government is not giving up a part or parts of its territory to China under an oil and gas agreement it signed with Beijing this week, former Foreign Secretary Albert Del Rosario said Friday.

In a statement, Del Rosario said he and acting Chief Justice Antonio Carpio saw the document signed during the state visit to the Philippines of Chinese President Xi Jinping on Nov. 20.

"It is the view of the Acting Chief Justice that what was signed is an agreement to negotiate an oil and gas cooperation, and we are safe with it. Nothing is being given away," Del Rosario said.

Del Rosario and Carpio led efforts to bring the country's disputes with China to international arbitration in 2013. An international court in the Netherlands invalidated China's claim over the resource-rich South China Sea in 2016.

Del Rosario said: "It behooves our negotiators to assure that our constitution is not violated and the arbitral tribunal outcomes are not undermined." "If we proceed with negotiations, there must be full transparency throughout the whole process," he said.

Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. earlier said there is no agreement for the Philippines and China to start joint exploration in the South China Sea, saying the pact seeks to study and discuss the prospects of a possible energy cooperation between the two countries. DMS