If it is true Romulo said that, I get the impression he was trying to wash his hands of the JMSU, although according to the news report, he claimed that "it's a plus, not a sellout."

Nevertheless, I like to believe it was a simple memory lapse on his part.

The JMSU was among the agreements signed during the state visit of Ms. Gloria Arroyo to China from 1-4 September 2004. Romulo was a member of the official delegation.

Following are portions of a Department of Foreign Affairs official press release (SFA-AGR-524-04) issued soon after the Arroyo state visit:

"06 September 2004 - Secretary of Foreign Affairs Alberto G. Romulo emphasized that the Joint Marine Seismic Undertaking in Certain Areas in the South China Sea between the Philippines and China is consistent with the 1987 Philippine Constitution, as well as the 2002 Asean-China Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea.

"At a press briefing in the DFA, Secretary Romulo, who was with President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's official delegation to the three-day state visit to China, added, 'I have said in a previous briefing that the Philippine Constitution is very clear on the exploration, development and utilization of our natural resources and that is why any agreement on energy resources between the Philippines and another country should be within our constitutional parameters.'

"The Joint Marine Seismic Undertaking in the South China Sea between the Philippines and China is one of several agreements signed during President Arroyo's state visit to China last week. Said agreement provides for a framework for conducting cooperative scientific research by the Philippine National Oil Company (PNOC) and the China National Offshore Oil Company (CNOOC) in certain agreed upon areas in the South China Sea.

"On observations that the agreement on the joint marine seismic undertaking would eventually lead to development discussions on the disputed areas, Secretary Romulo remarked, 'Any definitive agreement for further cooperation between the Philippines and China should be subject to future discussion and negotiations, and should be within the framework of the Philippine Constitution, the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and the 2002 Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea.'"

Based on Romulo's above statement, it would appear allegations that Ms. Arroyo committed treason when she authorized the signing of the JMSU has no solid basis.

The DFA press release also said:

"This agreement was signed by Mr. Eduardo Mañalac, PNOC President and Mr. Fu Chengyu, CNOOC President. The agreement provides for PNOC and CNOOC to undertake a joint seismic study of an agreed area in the South China Sea for three years to gather and process data on stratigraphy, tectonics and structural fabric of the subsurface of the area. The agreement has no reference to petroleum exploration and production and provides for the participation of the national oil company of a third country."

***

On 14 March 2005, the Vietnamese Foreign Ministry issued the following press statement:

"The signing ceremony of the Tripartite Agreement for Joint Marine Seismic Undertaking in the Agreement Area in the South China Sea by Vietnam Oil and Gas Corporation (PETRO Vietnam), Philippine National Oil Company (PNOC) and China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) was held in Manila, the Philippines, on 14th March 2005.

"Under the Agreement, the Parties are committed to strictly adhering to the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea and the 2002 Asean-China Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea. The Parties also expressed their resolve to transform the South China Sea into an area of peace, stability, cooperation and development, stating that the signing of this Agreement would not undermine the basic position held by the Government of each party on the South China Sea issue. The Agreement highlights the principles of equality and consensus among relevant Parties during the joint research process.

"According to the Agreement, the three oil companies of Vietnam, the Philippines and China will undertake a joint research of petroleum resource potential in an area in the South China Sea, which is defined by specific geographic coordinates. The term of this Agreement is three years."

(This Tripartite Agreement evidently superseded the bilateral one earlier concluded between the Philippines and China.)

***

I am not saying that the opposition is barking up the wrong tree. What I believe it should do at this time is to ask for the result of the seismic study now that the three-year period is expiring in four days.

The allegation that the signing of the agreement was in exchange for the subsequent flow of low-interest loans from China is, of course, another matter.

***

Incidentally, another agreement signed during Ms. Arroyo's state visit was the one between the North Railways Corporation and China National Machinery and Equipment Corporation Group (CNMEG).

The above-cited DFA press release has the following to say about the railways agreement:

"This agreement was signed by Mr. Jose Cortes, President of North Luzon Railways Corporation and Mr. Ren Hongbin, CNMEG President. The MOU provides for the undertaking by CNMEG of a feasibility study of the construction of Phase I, Section 2 (Malolos-Clark) of the Northrail project. The feasibility study will be completed within 100 days, after which both sides will have further discussions on the financing arrangements in accordance with the respective procedures and standards of the governments of the Philippines and China.

"Should the feasibility study lead to a financial arrangement suitable to both sides, CNMEG will complete simultaneous construction of Section 1 (Kalookan-Malolos) and Section 2 (Malolos-Clark) of the Northrail by 2008."

Among the members of Ms. Arroyo's state visit official delegation was then Speaker Jose de Venecia.

***

A DFA source told me it was no less than Ms. Arroyo who gave permission to US Ambassador Kristie Kenney to meet with Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) chairman Ebrahim Murad.

Another source close to Malaca-ñang said that immediately after her talks with Murad, Kenney briefed Arroyo and Secretary Romulo.

I find both pieces of information hard to believe.

Nonetheless, if indeed Arroyo allowed Kenney to meet with rebel leader Murad, wouldn't that constitute a dereliction of her duty as the chief guardian of the national sovereignty? Imagine the head of state herself permitting the envoy of a foreign power to deal directly with rebellious secessionists. That, in my view, borders on treason.

And are we, the people, not entitled to know what Kenney talked about with Murad?

***

In my column last week, I named the political ambassadors in the DFA. I failed to mention three of them: Hilario Davide, Philippine Mission to the United Nations in New York; Manuel Teehankee, Philippine Mission to the World Trade Organization in Geneva, and Francisco Benedicto who is slated to go to New Delhi.

Shirley Ho-Vicario is the one in Port Moresby as indicated in the updated list of embassies in the DFA website. (The updated website now lists the same ambassador in Hanoi and New Delhi.)

In the same column, I also said that the appointment of too many political ambassadors and the unwarranted extension of services of career ambassadors abroad deprive many career officers who have attained chief of mission rank from becoming envoys. There are at the moment thirty-nine of these chief of mission rank holders who, with some exceptions, are qualified and fully deserve to be named ambassadors to foreign countries.

One of the exceptions would be the chief of mission now in charge of Asia-Pacific affairs who, I understand, is being proposed for a post in Latin America.

***

Today is the 319th day of Jonas Burgos' disappearance.

Jonas' mother, Edita, is now on a speaking tour of the United States. I hope her plea for help in the search for her son will evoke a favorable response from both governmental and non-governmental institutions in the US. Already, it has been reported that the offices of Democratic Senator Barack Obama and Republican Senator John McCain, either one of whom could be the next president of the US, had expressed support for Edita's quest.