SPRATLY: ON THE HANDS OF DIPLOMACY?

Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has been through several controversies since her first day in office as the 14th Filipino President. In the recently concluded year 2008 which has served as a roller coaster ride for the Arroyo Administration. It is in this year that the controversial fertilizer fund scam was re-opened to the public attention and who will ever forget the most controversial scandal among all scandals, the NBN-ZTE Deal! This has caught the attention of the Filipino Public. Several political figures have rise and partly became instantly celebrities (i.e. Jun Lozada, Benjamin Abalos, Joey De Venecia, and FG). However, the name of the President has been dragged out in the scene. The NBN-ZTE deal proved that there is an existing special relationship between top leaders of the ZTE Company and the Philippine President herself and her husband at the same time.

The pictures cannot lie this is what JDV’s “autobiography” simply retorts. A picture of the first family with former Commelec Chairman Benjamin Abalos, First Gentleman Miguel Arroyo, Jose De Venecia, PGMA, and an alleged top official of the Chinese Telecommunications has been circulating in the Broadsheets and World Wide Web. These pictures were believed to be taken in Shenzhen, China while the political figures are having their leisure time via golf. These photos manifest different angles: betrayal of public trust, transparency in governance, and legitimacy of foreign international relations entered into by the Philippine Government under the Arroyo regime.

In relation to the controversial NBN-ZTE Deal, at the year 2004 the Philippine Government has gone through as secret deal with the Chinese Government for a Joint Marine Seismic Undertaking around the area of Spratly, Islands. This was kept from the Filipino Public for years since it has been signed way back the year 2005. It Calls for a joint seismic research and investigation of oil resources in the area. This collaboration between the two governments has been first announced by the former ally and House Speaker of the Philippine Congress, Rep. Jose De Venecia at the year 2003. It was in this project that they also have attached the plans of RP-CHINA to have joint venture against terror.

However, the Spratly agreement between the two countries is believed to have violated the constitution because while it was a deal between the state owned oil firms (PNOC of the Philippines and CNOOC of China) of the two countries, it implicitly gave China access to our oil reserves. This agreement consequently strengthened the claims of Vietnam and China. In the Philippine Constitution, it states that every natural resources found and located in the country is exclusively for the use of the Filipinos. However, our sovereignty was again at risk at this fragile issue. The joint agreement authorizes the Chinese Government to go through the oil reserves of the Spratly Islands, conversely, the sovereignty entails that it is our right to own and exploit our own resources. Thus this makes China’s intervention and abuse of our territorial claim over Spratly – Unconstitutional.

Ricky Carandang (A News Anchor) stated that $2 billion is committed by the Chinese Government to the Philippine Government until 2010 – Arroyos end of term as the President. Our Government has been constantly thrown with accusations of graft and corrupt practices when a certain project is funded by the Chinese Government (i.e. Northrail, Cyber Education, the Fuhua agricultural projects, Southrail, and of course the ZTE National Broadband project). Another financial aid given to us by the Chinese government is the OFFICIAL DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANCE which also promotes friendship between the two countries. However, these financial loans are not free loans and it needed to be paid or there is a special trade which may incur. These loans are naturally paid by the Philippine Government whether it has been utilize for public purposes or for Public Officials own interest. The joint agreement might have served in a way to be the main frame of the structural plan of China in implementing its interest over the region and its claims on Spratly Islands through the NBN-ZTE Deal. In the years 1975-1989 there has only been 22 eco-political agreements between China and Philippines. However, upon the signing of the joint seismic research the deals that have been signed between RP-CHINA increased up to 57 agreements totaling 67 from years 2001-2007. This agreements includes the NBN-ZTE Deal.

What does the economically unsound NBN-ZTE DEAL to do with the territorial disputes of seven countries over the Spratly Islands? China is one of the countries who largely consume oils and they are quickly running out of resources which urge them to find for new supplies and oil resources. China’s inquisition dictates that there can be a possible commercial resource of oil from the Islands of Spratly. Their claim is based on their belief that they own the whole area of the South China Sea and every Island located on this area is a part of what they own. Despite that belief they have they are also the biggest and most powerful country claiming territorial rights over the Spratly Islands. This fact makes them more aggressive and it persuades them more to claim the rights over the Islands. The Chinese governments have been using force to gain the territorial rights over the Islands however, at the start of the joint agreement of Philippines and China – they have altered their tactics via diplomacy.

The Chinese government have penetrated our territory in Spratly Islands and even explored the oil reserves and resources over the Island. It is in deed true that even before our government has on hand the loans which are believed to be the payment of Chinese government over our implicit withdrawal, the Chinese Government already had abused and deprives our government from its own sovereignty. The constitutionality of the joint agreement in the year 2005 is the root of all the mysterious diplomatic tactics of the Chinese government over our country and territorial claims.

The regime of the Arroyo decided to surrender it territorial claim over Spratly due to the Presidents personal attachment with the Chinese Nationals / Leaders. The close relationship between China and the President and the Presidents often visit to Shenzhen, China has widely affected our stand towards territorial disputes most specially that of the Spratly. This Island is just near from Palawan and we might not know the day after tomorrow it has to be Palawan which we are about to surrender considering its recent discovery of oil resource within the Island.

The eight consecutive years of GMA as the President brought political turmoil and economic instability. What More is in store for the country in the last year of GMA’s term as the country’s leadership (be it legitimate or not)?


*note that this articles is also submitted for Atty. Cheryl Daytec's Class*