Trillanes’ resolution directs the Committees on Accountability of Public Officers and Investigations (Blue Ribbon), National Defense and Security, and Environment and Natural Resources to undertake the investigation after Malaya came out with a report last week that what Malacañang once dubbed as a "landmark" agreement to jointly explore parts of the disputed islands in the Spratlys is actually a "treacherous sellout of Philippine interest and Philippine sovereignty in exchange fro overpriced loans for anomalous projects which include the ZTE-NBN deal, the North Rail and South Rail projects, the Department of Education’s Cyber-Ed project among others."

I’m glad that after four years of disinterest, the very important South China Sea exploration agreement is on the administration’s critics’ radar screen. I hope the clamor for transparency in this undertaking that involves the country’s patrimony and sovereignty becomes compelling.

The renewed interest, sparked by a recent article in the Far Eastern Economic Review on "Asean: Manila’s Bungle in the South China Sea" by Brian Wain is timely because the results of the so-called seismic study will soon be out. A Philippine diplomat said while the Arroyo may have gotten around the Constitutional prohibition with "seismic study," it would not be easy when they now go to exploration stage.

When the agreement was still being worked out in 2004, the term used was "joint oil exploration" and it was to be sold to the public as the Arroyo administration’s answer to "the problem of soaring oil prices." Merceditas Gutierrez, then acting justice secretary (now Ombudsman) objected, citing the Constitutional prohibition that "the exploration, development, and utilization of natural resources shall be under the full control and supervision of the State."

A foreign service officer who was involved in that September 2004 China visit of Arroyo remembers being snapped at by then House Speaker Jose de Venecia when he voiced the DFA’s reservation on the agreement.

Some brilliant minds came up with the idea circumventing the "exploration" prohibition and used the word "seismic study". Thus, what was signed was an "Agreement By and Between the Philippine National Oil Company and the China National Offshore Oil Company on Joint Marine Seismic Undertaking in the South China Sea" to "gather and process data on stratigraphy, tectonics and structural fabric of the subsurface of the area."

Later on, Petro Vietnam joined the project after Vietnam, one of the six countries (others are Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan) with claims on parts of the South China Sea, protested over the project.

But there was something highly suspicious with that agreement because the copy of the agreement was never made public. Inquiries as to the location of the seismic study area were never answered. The closest that we got then was De Venecia’s description: "Part Philippine territory, not disputed and part disputed."

I found that shocking and I asked him: "We allowed China to explore our territorial waters in exchange for a joint exploration of an area which we both claim?" JDV, as usual, went into his spiel about the agreement being a win-win solution for all claimant parties.

The sellout of Philippine territory is confirmed by the Far Eastern Review article which says, "The designated zone, a vast swathe of ocean off Palawan in the southern Philippines, thrusts into the Spratlys and abuts Malampaya, a Philippine producing gas field. About one-sixth of the entire area, closest to the Philippine coastline, is outside the claims by China and Vietnam."

In the article, South China expert Mark Valencia was quoted saying: "Presumably for higher political purposes, the Philippines agreed to these joint surveys that include parts of its legal continental shelf that China and Vietnam don’t even claim."

If "political purpose" means having loads and loads of money to buy political support, the people have reason to be outraged about reports of multi-million dollar commissions from projects funded by Chinese loans.

The agreement strengthens China’s hold over the whole South China area, which is a vital international oil route. It has an important impact on the geo-political balance of power. I can imagine the United States being seriously concerned about it.