The Philippines must still rally the support of other countries as it negotiates with China on issues related to the West Philippine Sea, a political analyst stressed Wednesday.
Ramon Casiple, vice president of Novo Trends PH, said during the virtual Pandesal Forum: “Whether bilaterally or multilaterally, we need to negotiate because we cannot afford to go to war. We don’t have the capability for that. I think what should happen is that even if bilaterally or multilaterally, we should have many other countries on our side."
"That means we have to campaign to have our own position accepted at the international level as widely as possible,” he said.
Casiple urged the country to have a “unified position” and avoid debating openly as the country negotiates with China.
“We need to have a unified position if we can as a nation. I don’t think it’s proper for Filipinos to debate openly when you are negotiating. Negotiation becomes complicated because of that,” he said when asked for his reaction to the public dialogue between President Rodrigo Duterte and former Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile.
In other developments:
• Armed Forces of the Philippines Chief Gen. Cirilito Sobejana called on military personnel to use all available assets and resources in defending the country's interests.
Sobejana also instructed a military officer who faced the Commission on Appointment (CA) on Wednesday to follow Malacañang’s gag order on matters related to the WPS.
• The captain of the FB Pauline 2 and its crew thanked Philippine Navy (PN) personnel for immediately rescuing them after their boat sustained damage off Nares Bank in the West Philippine Sea.
Duterte has refused to strongly assert the Philippines' rights in the West Philippine Sea despite continuing Chinese incursions. China's sweeping claims over almost the entire South China Sea has no legal basis, according to an UN-backed arbitration court.
While bilateral negotiations play a role in diffusing tensions, this should not prevent countries from engaging other options to resolve disputes, said Lucio Blanco Pitlo III, Asia Pacific Pathways to Progress Foundation, Inc. Research Fellow.
Other countries such as Malaysia and Singapore have a history of settling disputes before the International Court of Justice, Pitlo pointed out.
As for the Philippines and China, the Bilateral Consultation Mechanism (BCM) on the South China remains a “viable channel” to discuss issues even if their latest meeting did not produce a joint statement, he added.
“The bilateral track is very important, is very critical. In a perfect world, you try to settle disputes among neighbors. If one party feels that there’s not progress or significant development arising from that bilateral track, then other options may be tapped,” Pitlo said.
Casiple stressed that long-standing disputes between the Philippines and China in the WPS can only be addressed through negotiations.
He backed Duterte’s firm stance that the Philippines cannot afford to go to war with China over disputes in the highly-contested WPS or South China Sea (SCS).
“Whether bilaterally or multilaterally, we need to negotiate because we cannot afford war. We do not have capability for that,” Casiple said during the virtual Pandesal Forum.
Casiple said it is the “proper time” to resolve the maritime row with China through a non-adversarial approach.
He also acknowledged that the Philippines needs to have “many countries on our side” to protect the country’s interest in WPS.
Vice President Maria Leonor “Leni” Robredo on Sunday urged President Rodrigo Duterte to initiate multilateral talks to gain support from other countries rather than continue bilateral talks with China to settle WPS row.
However, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque on Tuesday rejected Robredo’s proposal, saying Duterte’s independent foreign policy is “correct and working.”
Casiple noticed “smooth relations” with other countries amid the implementation of Duterte’s foreign policy.
“It (Duterte’s independent foreign policy) is not meant to produce results immediately,” he said. “But we get something. That is, we are able to negotiate on specific issues.”
The Philippines on July 12, 2016 won its petition filed against China before the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in The Hague, Netherlands after the arbitration court ruled that Beijing’s sweeping claims over almost the entire sea have no legal basis.
China, however, has repeatedly ignored the PCA ruling.
Chinese vessels are still within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ) despite the Department of Foreign Affairs’ filing of diplomatic protests against Beijing, according to a report by Washington-based geospatial imagery and data analysis firm Simularity.
On Tuesday, Roque said the Palace will let the Department of Foreign Affairs decide on the lingering presence of Chinese ships in the country’s EEZ.
Duterte earlier sought a meeting with his predecessors to discuss WPS disputes with China.
Roque, however, said on Monday Duterte might drop his plan to consult the country’s past chief executives since the President’s foreign policy is working “for the past five years.”
Former Senate president Juan Ponce Enrile, during a meeting with Duterte on May 17, advised the Chief Executive to remain “friendly” with China.