ANGELES CITY – Pres. Aquino’s announcement of pending US explorations in the contested Spratlys islands where he confirmed “substantial gas deposits” is likely to further provoke “political, diplomatic war” with other Asian neighbors.
“The statement of the President will foment further tension and more diplomatic rows in the Spratlys.
It will escalate the ongoing political war between Manila and Beijing and may soon spark diplomatic tensions with Manila and Taiwan, Manila and Malaysia, Manila and Brunei and Manila and Vietnam, the left-leaning fisherfolk alliance Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya) said in a statement yesterday.
Pamalakaya national chairman Fernando Hicap said “Mr. Aquino is leading this country into a long running and protracted diplomatic war with other Asian neighbors”, as he lamented that the President’s statement in Hawaii reflected the administration’s subservience to US interests.
Hicap said the Aquino government is set to bid 15 offshore mining contracts to oil exploration giants based in the United States, Australia and Europe.
At least 40 oil and gas firms in Australia had signified to explore the Northwest and East of Palawan which are very near the disputed Spratlys group of islands.
The President confirmed rich oil and gas deposits in the Spratleys area during a press conference at the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum in Honolulu, Hawaii.
He said that the natural deposits in the area were so huge as to “dwarf” the Malampaya oil fields off Palawan and that by next year, a US firm would start operations in the gas-rich territory.
Hicap said the President’s statement was not only “despicable” but also “an open invitation to plunder and war.”
“The President was telling the people of the world that he would do practically everything, anything to please Washington D.C and the oil exploration giant-clients of the Barack Obama administration,” said Hicap.
Pamalakaya has also criticized the US$ 127 million aid package the Australian government launched for world’s poor but mineral rich nations like the Philippines.
“The oil and gas monopolies in Canberra, Sydney and even Melbourne want a lion’s share of the oil and gas explorations in Spratlys and other untapped oil and gas resources all over the country,” the group said.
“Let us call spade a spade. The US and the Australian government are investing their dollars to make sure of their allocations to some 3.3 trillion cubic meters of oil and gas deposits in Spratlys,” Hicap said.
Pamalakaya said 40 prominent Australian oil and gas exploration companies, which include, among others the top corporations in this discipline namely the Anglican Resources Plc., Shell, Apache, Chevron, AWT International, Black Swan, CalEnergy, Cue Energy Resources, ENI Australia, Exxon, Neon Energy, Otto Energy, Woodside and Tap Oil expressed keen interest to conduct oil and gas explorations in Philippine ocean waters and other areas being claimed by the Philippine government in Spratlys group of islands.
Last May, Pamalakaya wrote to Australian Senate President John Hogg for him to “intervene and convince Australian oil and gas exploration firms to cease from conducting offshore mining activities in Philippine waters due to oil and gas hunt’s negative impact on the environment and fishing livelihood.”
“We humbly ask your good office to make the necessary action, one of them perhaps, is to order the 40 Australian offshore mining firms to cease and desist from conducting oil and gas explorations in the Philippines to prevent another looming destruction of the Philippine water resources and wholesale collapse of fishing livelihood,” Pamalakaya said in its letter to the Australian senator.
Pamalakaya said “oil and gas explorations driven by super profit motivation and grand accumulation of foreign capital are highly inimical to the collective interest of the 104 million Filipinos and poses extreme danger to small fisherfolk livelihood and marine environment.”
Pamalakaya cited the case of off shore mining done at Tanon Strait between Negros and Cebu islands in 2005.
“Japan Petroleum Exploration Corporation (Japex) Inc. was allowed to conduct offshore mining in Tanon Strait, a protected seascape separating the island provinces of Negros and Cebu. The result was a general disaster,” it noted.
