DFA: PH willing to reopen talks with China on joint oil and gas exploration in WPS | ABS-CBN

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DFA: PH willing to reopen talks with China on joint oil and gas exploration in WPS

DFA: PH willing to reopen talks with China on joint oil and gas exploration in WPS

Vivienne Gulla,

ABS-CBN News

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The Philippines is willing to re-open talks with China on the joint oil and gas exploration in the West Philippine Sea, according to Foreign Affairs Sec. Enrique Manalo.

He assured lawmakers that should negotiations push through, it will be guided by Philippine laws and the Constitution.

"We have indicated to China our willingness to continue or to re-open talks sa oil and gas. Kasi we realized na especially now, ‘yung energy crunch at saka ‘yung nangyayari ngayon sa around the world, we really have to develop our resources. Again if we enter into negotiations with China, we will be guided by our laws and our constitution," Manalo told the House Committee on Appropriations during the DFA’s budget deliberations on Wednesday.

The Duterte administration had canceled energy talks with China, citing constitutional limits.

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"Gusto nila, just to put simply, 50-50 or 51-49, pero hindi rin pwede because it’s a natural resource… Let’s see. Maybe China will come back with a more open mind. Tingnan natin… but we’re bound by the constitution," Manalo explained.

"I really want to be very careful sa kung paano papasok ang ating bansa sa mga ganoong deals given nga yung position pa rin ng China… ‘Yung China parang kapitbahay natin na inaangkin yung mga kagamitan sa ating bahay, tapos instead na on the look out tayo sa pagpasok niya, parang bukas pa tayo na mag-enter siya, tutulungan pa natin maghanap kung ano ang pwede niya kunin at saan niya kukunin sa ating bahay.. Marapat talaga na sa pag-proceed natin dito ay tinitiyak natin yung sovereignty ng ating bansa at hindi lang lip service ang ating gawin on this matter," Kabataan Party List Rep. Raoul Manuel reminded the DFA.

The agency said the list of countries supporting the Hague ruling in favor of the Philippines on its dispute against China’s claims over the South China Sea has been growing.

MARY JANE VELOSO

The case of overseas Filipino worker Mary Jane Veloso will “most likely” be brought up during Pres. Marcos Jr.’s trip to Indonesia next week, according to Manalo.

Veloso has been imprisoned in Indonesia for 12 years after authorities found 2.6 kilograms of heroin in her luggage. Indonesia sentenced her to death in October 2010 over drug trafficking charges. She was scheduled to be executed in 2015, but was spared from capital punishment after the Philippine government said her testimony would be vital in human trafficking charges against her recruiters.

"Sa case ni Mary Jane Veloso. She’s in Indonesia now. Next week, the President, the delegation, we’re going there. We will most likely raise this issue with the Indonesian officials and our concerns on this. Just to ensure the honorable congresswoman that this issue is going to be one of those we will raise during the state visit," Manalo said.

EXTRADITION

The DFA has yet to receive any request from the United States to extradite Kingdom of Jesus Christ Pastor Apollo Quiboloy, who was placed on the US Federal Bureau of Investigation’s “most wanted” list based on its website, the agency told the committee.

Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Jose de Vega added, the Philippines has an option to deny the request.

"If it’s your own citizen that you will send to the other country, you have the option to deny the request, but of course wala pang request. So we will see," he said in response to Manuel’s query.

"As of now we don’t have the request. Hindi rin natin gagawin na tayo ang magsasabi sa US to request the extradition of one of our citizens," de Vega added.

Quiboloy has been charged in the US for a number of crimes. The FBI “most wanted” post lists the following crimes:

  • conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking by force, fraud and coercion
  • sex trafficking of children
  • sex trafficking by force, fraud and coercion
  • conspiracy
  • bulk cash smuggling

ICC

The Philippines’ top diplomat said the International Criminal Court should “stick to its mandate”, when asked by a solon about the agency’s stand on the ICC’s possible resumption of the probe into the thousands of killings in connection with Duterte’s drug war. That’s after finding that the Philippines has not demonstrated it investigated or is investigating crimes within the ICC’s jurisdiction of the ICC. The Philippine government has until Sept. 8 to file its comment.

"The ICC should stick to its mandate,” Manalo said.

“The problem is that ICC sometimes tries to get into issues in countries that clearly have working judicial system,” he added.

“Sa nabanggit na yung ating judicial systems are working, I’d like to be honest na sa matter na ‘yun, hindi po tayo nag-aagree. Lalu na’t ilang taon na rin ang lumipas, tapos libu-libo nang mga pamilya ang nanghihingi ng hustisya doon sa mga nangyari sa kanila as part of the drug war,” Manuel countered.

BUDGET

The DFA’s proposed 2023 budget is P20.304 billion, approximately 2.5 percent less than this year’s budget of P21.051 billion. It represents 0.39 percent of the proposed national budget for next year.

The agency requested the committee to consider its proposal to restore budget cuts in consular operations, citing the need to meet increasing demand for passports and other consular services. It also called for the augmentation of the budget for local hires and temporary offsite passport services.

"We can see that the DFA is very reasonable! The DBM removed P22-billion from their proposal! But they are not asking for P22-billion. They’re only asking for P2.2-billion. They’re asking for only 2.2-billion! I now would like to manifest and move and this will be carried to the plenary, I move that we restore the total amount of P2.4-billion only to the Department of Foreign Affairs,” Cagayan de Oro 2nd District Rep. Rufus Rodriguez told the committee.

“This morning, the DOT requested for an increase in their budget of about P7-billion and you are asking for about a P2-billion increase. We expect every agency to ask the same. And as you know, by the Constitution, the budget ceiling cannot be changed. So kung magdadagdag tayo ng budget ninyo, magbabawas tayo sa iba. And of course, no agency would want to give up any peso. So this is a tough task,” Marikina 2nd District Rep. Stella Quimbo replied.

3RD GEN PASSPORTS

The DFA is exploring options for “third generation” passports, which are envisioned to have better security features, as well as the possibility of contactless passport application.

“We also want to expand and explore a more effective biometrics, which also takes into account the facial recognition,” Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary Henry Bensurto Jr. told the media on the sidelines of the agency’s budget hearing.

"We want to explore also the possibility of an e-passport, meaning to say digitized. Whether or not that is doable will rely on several factors, including among others the aspect of security… at the end of the day, we have a serious interest in the integrity of the passport. Why? Because when the passport has that integrity, then it will command respect from other countries,” he added.

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