Atienza backs joint sea deal with China

BUHAY party-list Rep. Lito Atienza threw his support behind President Rodrigo Duterte’s plan to jointly explore the South China Sea with China.

“We fully support and appreciate President Duterte’s plan to forge a 60-40 sharing agreement with China for the joint exploration of the South China Sea, rather than risk going to war with our superpower neighbor. Unlike the Benham Rise, which was undisputed and duly declared by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (Unclos) as part of Philippine territory, the islands in the South China Sea are still being contested with long-standing claims not just by the Philippines and China, but by a host of other countries as well, among them Taiwan, Brunei, Malaysia, Indonesia and Vietnam,” Atienza said.

When he was the Environment secretary, Atienza led the team that prepared the comprehensive study of and identified the territorial boundaries of the country’s claim on Benham Rise and presented this to the United Nations. The UN approved the Philippines’ claim. “The islands in the South China Sea, on the other hand, are being contested by the Philippines and six other countries. For any country to force its claim on these would mean war. Can we defend our claim against all other comers? The Benham Rise, on the other hand, is clearly and definitely ours, no ifs, no buts,” Atienza added.

“President Duterte’s position for the joint exploration is a win-win situation and will definitely benefit both countries economically from whatever is discovered and developed in the area. If we listen to hotheaded politicians and naysayers, then we would all end up with nothing. Sometimes emotionalism is not the best and cannot provide any real and tangible benefits for our country. Can they guarantee any beneficial effects if we go up against our superpower neighbor?” he said.

It will be better to forge an exploration deal with China because the Philippines does not have the money to do it alone, the senior deputy minority leader said.