Cayetano cites 1999 paper on WPS joint development
MANILA — Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano cited a 1999 paper in justifying the possible joint development with China in the South China Sea, part of which is the West Philippine Sea.
The paper titled "When will conditions be ripe: Prospects for joint development in the South China Sea" discussed the advantages and disadvantages of joint development zones almost 20 years ago, way back when maritime entitlements were unclear. In a Congressional hearing on Wednesday, the Philippines' top diplomat hit back at critics opposing joint development in the contested waterway.
Quoting a May 28 Manila Standard article, Cayetano read "A joint oil and gas exploration by China and the Philippines in the West Philippine Sea will 'somehow give up' the arbitration ruling that said Manila had sovereign rights over the disputed areas in the sea, a maritime expert said Sunday."
The maritime expert that the article was referring to was Jay Batongbacal, director of the University of the Philippines Institute for Maritime Affairs and Law of the Sea.
Cayetano added that the same sentiments are being echoed by those who are not in favor of joint development in the West Philippine Sea.
He then proceeded to read an excerpt from the 1999 paper co-authored by Batongbacal and UP Prof. Aileen Baviera, "Most importantly, the joint development zone approach is attractive because its flexible nature allows it to reconcile in principle the needs of parties for simultaneously preserving sovereignty and territorial integrity, promoting peace and security in its neighbors and advancing profitable economic use of oceans."