A COMMERCIAL transaction on a joint exploration with China in the West Philippine Sea should adopt the Malampaya model and must be done according to the Constitution, former Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario said.
The Philippine government and the Malampaya consortium have a 60-40 sharing of revenues for the gas deposits off the shore of Palawan.
Current Foreign Secretary Alan Peter S. Cayetano had earlier said that the Philippine government would not agree on a deal with China on possible joint exploration unless it is as good as or greater the Malampaya model.
Cayetano announced this month that the President has approved “in principle” the establishment of a technical working group on the joint exploration.
He said China was also ready with its own technical working group and is hoping that the framework agreement between Philippines and China could be signed in September.
In a chance interview, del Rosario said having a commercial transaction follow the Malampaya template “would be very good,” even as he also warned that the country’s joint exploration with China must adhere to the Philippine Constitution.
“I think if we can come up with a workable agreement that sovereignty is not an issue, that will be okay,” he said.
Del Rosario preceded Cayetano at the DFA.
Asked if the current administration is consulting him or anyone from the past administration to be part of the technical working group, del Rosario said he thinks that the current administration intends to talk to Paul Reichler, the lead attorney-interpreter of the legal team that brought the Philippines its historic victory in its case against China on the West Philippine Sea before a UN arbitral tribunal. “I think they are covering that base,” he said.
Acting Chief Justice Antonio T. Carpio has also said that he has no objection to the joint development as long as it complies with the Constitution, and there is no waiver of sovereign rights under the arbitral ruling.
In his opening remarks in a Stratbase ADRi forum on Friday, the former secretary reiterated that the arbitral ruling won by the country two years ago is not an “empty victory,” as he took a swipe against Defense Secretary Delfin N. Lorenzana, who previously made the remark and has since clarified his statement.
“Any person who views it as such carries the voice of China,” he said.