The Philippines is willing to consider a joint mineral exploration with China in the South China Sea despite overlapping claims in the area.
President Duterte recently announced he is open to “sharing” resources with China after admitting country is unable to afford exploring the mineral resources on its own.
“Hindi naman ako madamot. Ang gusto kong kunin ang lahat, wala naman tayong pang-capital. Even in the rigs and everything, we cannot afford it. Baka sharing-sharing na lang,” Duterte said in a gathering of lawyers in Pasay City last Thursday night.
Duterte said he intends to raise an arbitration court’s decision upholding the country’s maritime entitlements once China starts to extract minerals in the disputed waters.
“When you start to dig there the minerals, the riches of the bowels of the sea, kasali tayo,” the President said. “Kasi kalabitin ko na siya. ‘Di ba sinabi ko, you claim it, I claim it. So I claim now my ownership, my entitlements then we have to talk,” he added.
The Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague earlier ruled over the South China Sea disputes in favor of the Philippines. The arbitration court ruled that China has no historical rights to the resource-rich waters but Beijing has refused to recognize the decision.
The President has chosen to put the arbitration case in the backseat as he focused on enhancing the country’s economic relations with China for now. But he has promised not to surrender any sovereignty to Beijing, saying he would raise the arbitral judgment within his term. (GENALYN D. KABILING)
