Philippines should pursue Recto Bank exploration —Carpio

The Philippines should pursue its exploration of gas and oil in Recto Bank, retired Supreme Court Associate Justice Antonio Carpio said Thursday in Maki Pulido's report on "24 Oras."

Carpio issued the remarks after President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. and Chinese President Xi Jinping discussed negotiations on the joint oil and gas explorations in the South China Sea during their bilateral meeting in Beijing.

“They don't want to explore with us because sabi nila we will only explore only with us in a non-disputed area. Ang ginagawa nila pine-pressure lang tayo para we will give them part of the Reed Bank, we will be forced to agree. Ganyan naman ang bully,” Carpio said.

Recto Bank, part of the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ), is believed to contain around 165 million barrels of oil and 3.4 trillion cubic feet of natural gas.

Carpio said it can be considered a disputed territory, with China’s continuous encroachment in the area despite the 2016 arbitral ruling awarded to the Philippines which identifies the bank as under the country’s EEZ.

“We have to follow Malaysia [and] Indonesia, practical sila dumerecho sila, they surveyed, they drilled, kahit tinakot sila, hindi sila nagpatakot so natapos nila,” he added.

Meanwhile, fisherfolk group Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya)  expressed disappointment over China’s vow to find a “compromise” that would allow Filipino fishermen to fish in the West Philippine Sea.

“Ang dapat 'yung China ang ganyan ang pakiusap sa atin e 'di ba pero ang nangyari ngayon parang tayo 'yung nakikiusap sa China,” Pamalakaya national chairperson Fernando Hicap said.

Around 70% of Filipino fishermen lost their livelihood due to the continuous harassment of the Chinese Coast Guard and militia in Zambales, he added.

Marcos and Xi did not directly discuss the territorial dispute but both agreed to maintain direct communication regarding the maritime issue.

Security analyst Rommel Banlaoi, for his part, said the two countries should establish a general framework of cooperation.

“They need to strengthen their daily-to-daily contacts in order to avoid any untoward incident on the grounds. Also the coast guard-to-coast guard coordination,” he said.—Sundy Locus/LDF, GMA Integrated News