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Friday, March 29, 2024

China offered PH isles

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DAVAO CITY—President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday said that he will offer to sell islands that Manila controls in the South China Sea to Beijing once maritime tensions in the region dissipate.

Speaking to reporters before leaving for a three-country swing to the Middle East, Duterte also assured Beijing that he won’t be placing any offensive weapons in the Philippine-controlled islands belonging to the Spratly islands chain to maintain the friendship he had established with Beijing. 

“We do not [mean harm] to China. We are friends, as a matter of fact. And maybe when we get rich, very rich, I can sell the land to you for — it’s yours,” he added. “When the spectacle of a war is gone, nothing is dangerous to the Philippines.”

President Rodrigo Duterte

Duterte said, however, that his offer to sell off islands controlled by the Philippines won’t happen “as long as the ruckus continues.” 

After ordering the military to fortify islands already held by the Philippines, Duterte said he had no plans of getting involved in another bitter feud with Beijing.

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“China can relax. We are friends. We will not go to war with you. We’re just trying to maintain the balance of the geopolitical situation there,” Duterte said.

“For the information of China, we will not place there any offensive weapons, not even one gun. We are just there to claim the island for us because that is really ours. And I have ordered the Armed Forces to build structures there to signify to all that is ours and place there flags and structures,” the President said. 

He said he asked the Armed Forces to simply build structures there and fly the Philippine flag as a sign that the country has claimed it.

Duterte also urged Beijing to understand Manila’s position, since “everybody’s grabbing land.”

“I have extended my hand in friendship to the Chinese government. Kindly, kindly take a deep look in the situation,” he said.

Recently, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hua Chunying expressed concern over Duterte’s order to “occupy” islands in the disputed waters, saying that they hoped Manila will continue working to maintain bilateral ties between the two countries.

In the same interview, Duterte announced that he will be signing an executive order once he returns from his trip, renaming the Benham Rise to Philippines Ridge. 

“I’m claiming both the 10 or nine [islands in the West Philippine Sea] and Benham Rise.  I will rename it ‘Philippine Ridge’ as our exclusive property,” the President said. 

Also on Monday, Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol said that an expedition composed of Filipino scientists and fishermen will be traveling to the resource-rich Benham Rise east of Luzon Wednesday, April 12 to explore the potentials of the 13-million-hectare shelf off the coast of Aurora Province for the country’s food requirements. 

“Traveling with me are top officials of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources [BFAR] led by Undersecretary Eduardo Gongona, a retired Coast Guard Commodore, and scientists on board the government-owned Oceanographic Research vessel MV DA-BFAR and at least three smaller DA-BFAR patrol vessels called the MCS,” Piñol said. 

Benham Rise, a 13-million-hectare undersea region that lies east of Luzon and off the provinces of Isabela and Aurora is a massive formation of basalt, a common volcanic rock, and is described in a study as a thickened portion of the Philippine sea plate’s oceanic crust. 

Chinese ships were reported to have sailed in the Benham Rise area from November to January, causing concern in the defense establishment.

There had been limited research on the area, but an expedition last year found pristine corals, diverse marine life and untapped gas reserves in the area.

Studies conducted by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources have indicated large deposits of methane in solid form in the area.

The officials will be joined by a flotilla of 10 fiberglass fishing boats, manned by fishermen who will set up fishing sheds in the area.

The flotilla will proceed to the shallow portion of the ridge where the depth is only about 70 feet and anchor fish sheds where the fishermen could catch fish using hand lines.

Piñol said that officials from the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources and scientists will also study whether it is viable “to set up floating structures to serve as rest and refuge area for fishermen and scientists.”

The latest Pulse Asia survey released Monday showed the Duterte administration suffering a significant eight-point drop over the government’s performance in protecting the country’s territory. 

While the Duterte administration has recorded majority approval ratings on most issues, the opinion polling firm noted an “8-percentage point decline in the level of approval for its efforts to defend national territorial integrity.” 

The latest First Quarter Ulat ng Bayan survey, conducted from March 15 to 20, 2017, showed public approval over the government’s defense of the country’s territory against foreigners declining by 8 percentage points, from 65 percent in December 2016 to 58 percent in March 2017.

Since assuming the presidency, Duterte has sought to play down Manila’s legal victory over Beijing with regard to the South China Sea. The President said the Philippines cannot match China’s military might and should just instead pursue invigorated economic ties with its wealthy neighbor.

Also on Monday, a unit of Fitch Group said renewed tensions between China and the Philippines were posing a risk to proposed Chinese investments in Philippine infrastructure projects.

Business Monitor International  said short-term disagreements between the two countries could result in the Philippines seeking alternative financiers, such as Japan. 

“President Rodrigo Duterte’s order on Thursday for the navy to occupy Philippine-claimed islands in the South China Sea raises political tensions between the Philippines and China, which poses a downside risk for China’s previously proposed investments in Philippine infrastructure projects,” BMI said.

“Although we believe that most Chinese-backed projects will be unaffected, we note that the current situation could help Japanese companies win contracts from a warier government and public,” BMI said.

A leftist fisherman’s group on Monday supported Duterte’s plan to occupy at least nine Philippine-controlled islands, saying the move was long overdue.

“We applaud President Rodrigo Duterte’s command to his forces to occupy our islands in the West Philippine Sea because that is the right thing to do in order to strengthen our rightful claim in our territory,” Fernando Hicap, chairman of the  Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas, said. With Julito G. Rada and Sandy Araneta

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