President Duterte: The Philippines Is Ready To Share Oil Deposits With China
On Monday (December 19, 2016), President Rodrigo Duterte said that the Philippines is open in sharing its oil resources with China.
The president said that the country is willing to share its oil natural oil resources in the disputed area with China. Duterte cited the Philippines is not capable of withstanding on a military war against the sleeping giant (China).
He suggested to develop the area and share the oil deposits with China to avoid sparkling the tension between the two countries. The oil deposits found in the Scarborough Shoal will be both splits distributed to China and Philippines, according to the statement of Duterte during his speech at an award ceremony at the presidential office.
Duterte said that sending Philippine marines on the disputed shoal to control Scarborough will just cause tension and disaster between the two countries. The president doesn’t see it as a viable alternative for the country.
Scarborough Shoal was seized by China from the Philippines last 2012. China called it as Huangyan Dao reef. The shoal is a triangular island that can be found 220 kilometers west of the Philippine main island “Luzon.”
Previously, China prohibits Filipino fishermen to enter the shoal for fishing, so former Philippine President Benigno Aquino III filed a case against China at the Permanent Court of Arbitration. The Philippine government accused China against unlawful prevention of Filipino fishermen to pursue their livelihood at the West Philippine Sea.
On July 12, 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration decline China’s territorial claim on the disputed shoal for they have no legal basis for their claim. The higher Court declared the shoal as a common fishing ground.
The Court also found that China violated the sovereign rights of the Philippines for prohibiting their traditional fishing activities, for building artificial islands and failing to prohibit Chinese fishermen to enter the area.
After the state visit of President Duterte in China, Filipino fishermen have regained their access on the shoal and sued their livelihood but later the president announced that he will sign an executive order to make the shoal as a marine sanctuary, which will prohibit both Filipino and Chinese fishermen to enter the zone.
Meanwhile, China was still planning to promote joint development and conditions for the final settlement on the shoal regarding its disputes with other countries.
What can you say about the decision President Duterte in sharing the oil resources of the Philippines with China? Just feel free to leave your comments and suggestions for this article.
