P-Noy wants review of Spratly Code of Conduct

MANILA, Philippines -  The Code of Conduct among claimant-countries in the disputed Spratly Islands must be reviewed so that jurisdictional matters will be defined clearly, and the Philippines will raise this with the Chinese government, President Aquino said yesterday.

In a chance interview at the SMX Mall of Asia where he was guest speaker at the University of the Philippines College of Medicine graduation, Aquino said the issue will be raised when he meets with Chinese Defense Minister Liang Guanglie at Malacañang today.

The Code, which includes China, was approved in 2002.

“We have been suggesting this for so long, if we could study the Code of Conduct. It would be best for us to talk to avoid incidents such as what happened recently,” Aquino said, referring to the purported Chinese jets that entered Philippine airspace last week.

“Of course in the interest of maintaining good bilateral relations, we will relay to them our sentiments,” he said, adding that the rationale behind this is to lessen incidents of intrusion and avoid conflicts.

Likewise, he hinted the reported sighting of Chinese jets might not result in a diplomatic protest since Philippine authorities could not clearly establish if these were really Chinese aircraft.

It was different in the case of the Philippine Coast Guard vessel that had an incident with a seismic ship, mainly because the Chinese government “acknowledged” that the vessel was theirs in the first place.

Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile, meanwhile, said the Philippine government should reiterate its stand that the Reed Bank in western Palawan is part of the country’s territory and invoke its rights over it under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

Enrile said that Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin should make sure he will be able to stress this position during the meeting with the Chinese defense minister.

“(The Philippine government) should tell them that they should not enter within our airspace,” Enrile said.

“The Reed Bank is within the 200-(nautical) mile exclusive economic zone of the Philippines. Why are they entering our territory when they (Chinese) should be adhering to international laws?” Enrile added.

Enrile lamented that the country is seemingly unable to defend its territories against alleged Chinese intrusion because its defense department lacks strength.

Enrile said the government can very well use the help of its allies, including the United States, but stressed that the country should be able to show that it can help itself.

Despite the Mutual Defense Treaty with the United States, Enrile said that it is unlikely US forces will lead a war in behalf of Philippine sovereignty. However, Enrile said the Philippine government can ask for US help in terms of enforcing the UNCLOS which the United States recognizes, although reportedly they have not ratified the same.

UNCLOS, also called the Law of the Sea Convention or the Law of the Sea Treaty, defines the rights and responsibilities of nations in their use of the world’s oceans and establishes guidelines for businesses, the environment, and the management of marine natural resources. To date, 161 countries and the European Community have joined the Convention.

Enrile said the Aquino administration should ensure that boosting the AFP’s capability should be among its priority programs.

The Senate President also took a dig at former President Fidel Ramos, who reportedly neglected strengthening the Armed Forces since moves to modernize the military failed during his time.