No treason committed in JMSU signing — DoE

‘The unconstitutionality of something will not translate to acts of treason. They are not equivalent. Let’s look at instead whether or not there are issues that need to be further clarified’

An official with a Philippine government agency who signed the Joint Marine Seismic Undertaking or JMSU with a Chinese state-run oil firm and a Vietnamese company did not necessarily commit treason.

The JMSU was signed by the Philippine National Oil Company, the China National Offshore Oil Corp., and the Vietnam Oil Gas Corp., involving 142,886 square kilometers of the South China Sea. The deal commenced in 2005 and expired in 2008.

The Philippine party to the JMSU was represented by then PNOC president and CEO Eduardo V. Manalac.

Not equivalent

“The unconstitutionality of something will not translate to acts of treason. They are not equivalent. Let’s look at instead whether or not there are issues that need to be further clarified,” Energy Secretary Raphael Perpetuo Lotilla told reporters at the sidelines of an energy forum in Pasay City on Thursday.

“The country is under-explored in terms of gas and oil and so every effort to explore the potential is there. In the case, it was precisely underlined that seismic activities are not being violative of the constitution,” he added.

Lotilla, however, pointed out that the country may have to revisit its joint exploration agreements with other countries to ensure that deals will only uphold the country’s interests, especially since our resources are vastly under-explored.

“The Philippines also entered into international agreements with Australia, and Norway which assisted us in exploring areas so this is not the first time. But we need to take a look at this particular decision,” the Energy chief noted.

Assurance

The DoE already made an assurance last week that it is closely working with the Office of the SolicitorGeneral and the Department of Justice to determine the next step on the matter.

The issue on the JMSU was floated following a petition filed by Bayan Muna Party-List representatives Satur Ocampo and Teodoro Casiño.