Biazon backs Philippines-China venture for Spratlys oil

MANILA, Philippines - Former Marine general and now Muntinlupa Rep. Rodolfo Biazon was among soldiers who were tasked in 1968 by then-President Ferdinand Marcos to occupy the islands in the now-disputed Spratlys.

He said they were able to occupy 8 of the 11 islands in the Spratlys.

Biazon said it was not easy, as they went toe-to-toe with Taiwanese forces that were also bent on conquering as many islands in the area as possible.

He narrated that they encountered Taiwanese vessels during one of their reconnaissance missions.

"We were fired upon by the Taiwanese, but they were not really hitting us, just some sort of a warning, but they fired again," he said.

Marcos told them to exercise maximum tolerance.

Until today, the Armed Forces of the Philippines exerts maximum tolerance in the area despite the presence of larger naval vessels of other countries.

Joint venture?

Biazon said the best way to temper tension between countries claiming the islands is to forge a reasonable joint venture between nations.

Biazon said the Philippines was already extracting around 45,000 barrels of oil every day in Malampaya area alone in the 1970's.

From 2002 up to 2010, the government would have already earned P102 billion from the oil extraction, he said.

More oil exploration projects are being undertaken and countries such as China want to have a slice of the pie, Biazon said.

"There was a time it went to about 12,000 barrels day, pero hindi ibig sabihin kumonti yun. Pag may nakita silang presence of oil, tinatakpan muna nila for future use or exploration," he revealed.

Biazon said the call of China for a joint venture might be reasonable at this time. "I think this is the only way for settling dispute partially, I say partially, because eventually we really have to delineate the different boundaries."

He proposed for the Aquino government to pursue a multilateral action for 6 claiming nations to come to terms under one agreement.

He said, "the first thing we have to do now is to try to get the ASEAN plus 1 (China) to convene para mapag-usapan ito."

Piece of the puzzle

However, Biazon admitted that this is just one piece of the puzzle.

All nations involved in the issue will have to come to the United Nations to resolve the territorial dispute, he said.

"Armed conflict is very very remote, so let's not talk about the military aspect," he added.

Biazon believes that no country in today's generation, including China, will win through the use of military might.

He believes Beijing cannot afford to resolve the dispute by using its armed forces. "No nation can live in a vacuum unless you are North Korea or Cuba."

Chinese envoy says marine vessels deployed in Spratlys

The Chinese ambassador to Manila the Philippines on Thursday said Beijing deployed marine surveillance vessels in the disputed Spratly islands but that China has no plans to establish military presence in the contested area.

China has not violated any existing accord with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in relation to the disputes in South China Sea — believed to be rich in oil and gas resources, Ambassador Liu Jianchao told Manila-based reporters in a briefing Thursday.

"We have no intention of occupying one of the islands," the Chinese envoy said. "We clarified that those materials were intended for surveys in the area, not military but survey vessels. It is something that should not be played out."

He also said that the US government should not intervene in the South China Sea disputes and allow the claimant parties to resolve the matter on their own through peaceful means.

The US interest in the area is in trade navigation and peace and stability, he added. 

Concerns

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) earlier said the Philippines is concerned with the increasing presence and activities of Chinese military vessels within the disputed Spratly islands — being claimed by Brunei, China, Taiwan, Vietman, Malaysia and Philippines.

In a recent note verbale to the Chinese embassy in Manila, the DFA asked China to clarify the recent sightings of a China Marine Surveillance vessel and other People's Liberation Army Navy ships at the vicinity of Iroquois Reef-Amy Douglas Bank in the West Philippine Sea which is within the Philippines' 200 nautical miles Exclusive Economic Zone.

However, Filipino diplomatic experts on the South China Sea dispute are saying that the spate of Chinese activities in the Spratlys may be connected to China’s plan to stage deep-sea mining in the Indian Ocean which is pending approval before the United Nations. This, the experts who asked not to be named said, will also impact on the South China Seas. 

The Chinese government is insisting that China has sovereign right and jurisdiction over the South China Sea territory that dates back to the Tang Dynasty in the 7th century.

Undisputed

Liu said China's claims over the South China Sea have not been contested until after the World War II and then in the early 70s.

But Beijing remains committed to the Declaration of Parties in the South China Sea (DoC) signed by China and ASEAN in November 2002, he said. 

The DoC seeks to maintain status quo in the disputed region, and prevents the claimants from engaging in military activities that will affect peace and stability in the disputed area.

"Peaceful means is the only option for China and we are determined to carry on with peaceful consultation with our partners, our neighbors, who are also claiming the Nansha Islands," Liu said, referring to the Spratlys in Chinese.

Marine surveillance presence in the South China Sea did not violate the DoC, according to the Chinese envoy, saying that "everything was carried out within the sovereignty of China." 

"Everything was carried out within the principles that are involved in the DoC," Liu said. "We don’t really believe that it’s a breach of the DoC. It conforms with the spirit of the DoC."

Liu said that China wants all parties involved to “find a practical solution with regards to easing up the tension and the peace and stability in the disputed area." Liu said.

"I don’t want the Nansha issue to be a barrier in our generation. I think this view is also shared by my colleagues in the DFA," he added.