he Department of
Foreign Affairs yesterday finally deigned to respond to reports that Gloria
Arroyo committed a treasonous act in selling Philippine territory to Beijing in
exchange for $4 billion in dirty loans.
The DFA said the Joint Marine Seismic Undertaking (JMSU)
"does not impinge on the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the
Philippines" and described the agreement as "a landmark agreement that affirms
the political commitment of the three claimant states (Philippines, China and
Vietnam) to approach their disputes in the South China Sea in a peaceful and
constructive manner."
Here’s our take on that agreement almost four years ago,
titled "A leadership of liars":
"There they go again, Malacañang blandly claiming there are
no irregularities in two agreements signed during President Arroyo’s visit to
China two weeks ago.
"One of the agreements calls for joint ‘seismic study’ in the
disputed Spratlys. The other is for a $400 million loan to rehabilitate the
northern portion of the Luzon railway.
"Let’s put aside the NorthRail project for the moment. "We
have not seen any independent costing so we have no opinion one way or the other
about its alleged overprice.
"But on the joint seismic study, Malacañang is again clearly
lying about the project.
"Palace officials say no secrecy surrounds the agreement.
Ellen Tordesillas of this paper has alleged that there is, the reason mediamen
seeking a copy of the agreement were being given the runaround. "Settling the
issue is straightforward. Malacañang only has to release the full text of the
agreement, including all annexes, and that’s it. We bet it won’t because it
would open up a can of worms.
"Then Justice Secretary Merceditas Gutierrez, according to
Tordesillas, objected to the agreement because it runs against the
constitutional provision on the country’s 200 mile exclusive economic zone which
provides that ‘the exploration, development and utilization of natural resources
shall be under the full control and supervision of the State.’
"To skirt the constitutional mandate, the agreement was
worded in such a way that ‘exploration’ does not appear in the text. It was
replaced with the term ‘seismic study.’
"Now what is a ‘seismic study?’ It has nothing to with
earthquakes. It involves firing a series of explosives on the seabed, with the
shock waves recorded at distant points. How the waves are propagated enable
geologists to map the underground structures.
"And what is the use of mapping of such structures? "There’s
only one that comes to mind. It’s to identify potential oil-bearing structures.
"There are no ifs and buts about that agreement. The
Philippines and China have agreed to conduct joint exploration in the disputed
portions of the South China Sea. Whether the joint project falls under ‘marine
scientific research’ which is allowed under the Manila declaration on the
preservation of the status quo is open to question.
"But Vietnam is already objecting. Taiwan, Malaysia and
Brunei which also claim the Spratlys in whole or in part are expected to follow
suit.
"The Philippines and China have raised the temperature in the
disputed territories with this venture. The misadventure could lead into an
outbreak of hostilities.
"China, the recognized military power in the region, can very
well take care of itself. But how about us?
"The leadership has embarked on a perilous course, made worse
by its lying to the people who will bear the brunt if war breaks out in the
Spratlys."
The fault in that four-year-old editorial is that it failed to see early on
the link between the "sellout" and the thieving. Gloria was inviting trouble in
the disputed area not because Beijing put one over her negotiators, but because
she was apparently already counting the "commissions" from the Chinese loans.
