Italy backs Philippines's move to bring sea row to court

ROME – Italian leaders expressed support for the Philippines’s move to bring its territorial dispute against China before an international tribunal during their meeting with President Benigno Aquino III here Thursday.

Aquino held separate meetings with Italian President Sergio Mattarella and Prime Minister Matteo Renzi to strengthen the diplomatic relationship between the Philippines and Italy, which will turn 70 in 2017. The meeting with Mattarella was held at the Palazzo del Quirinale, a historic building that housed some popes and kings, while that with Renzi took place at his official residence in Palazzo Chigi.

The issue of the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea) row was tackled in both meetings, with both leaders saying that the Philippines did the right thing in seeking a rules-based approach to the issue.

“Italy affirms the Philippines’ adherence to UNCLOS (United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea) in upholding freedom of navigation and acknowledges that that the Philippines has taken an appropriate path to peaceful dispute resolution,” Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. said.  

In 2013, the Philippines filed a case against what it described as China’s exaggerated and baseless territorial claims before an international arbitral tribunal. China, however, ignored the Philippines’ complaint and insisted that maritime disputes should be settled through bilateral negotiations, not through multilateral channels.

China claims to have historical rights over virtually the entire South China Sea, where more than $5 trillion worth of trade passes through every year. The Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan have overlapping claims in the area.  

To assert its claims, China built what appear to be military structures on some disputed reefs, raising concerns among countries who are wary about their impact on freedom of navigation.

Last October, a Hague-based arbitration court ruled that it has jurisdiction over the Philippines’ case even if China has refused to join the legal proceedings. The Philippines is now presenting the merits of its case before the tribunal.

Philippines, Italy vow to fight terrorism

Terrorism and extremist ideology were also tackled during the two meetings.

Coloma said Aquino and Renzi “discussed threats posed by radicalization and global terrorism.” Aquino and Mattarella, meanwhile, expressed their support against efforts to curb terror threats.

“Both leaders (Aquino and Mattarella) expressed solidarity in the campaign against global terrorism. They share the view that it is vital to exert efforts towards de-radicalization,” Coloma said.

Europe has been placed on high alert in the wake of the terrorist attacks in Paris, France that left more than 120 persons dead. Terrorist group Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the attacks, saying it was a response to the air strikes against its allies in Syria.  

Philippine security officials have claimed that there is no credible Islamic State threat in Manila but vowed to remain vigilant to prevent attacks.

Other issues

Aquino also thanked the Italian leaders for supporting the upgrade efforts of the Philippine military, one of the weakest in the Asia Pacific region.

He cited Italy’s support for the Philippines’ acquisition of Augusta choppers that are now being used for disaster relief operations.

The Philippine Navy bought five AW-109 Power helicopters from Anglo-Italian firm AgustaWestland for P1.35 billion. The Philippine Air Force, meanwhile, acquired eight AW109 Power helicopters from the same supplier for P3.44 billion.

Aquino briefed the Italian leaders about the Bangsamoro Basic Law framework for peace, an issue of great interest to Italy, according to Coloma. Mattarella and Renzi, for their part, congratulated Aquino for the progress of the peace process with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front.

The Italian leaders also cited the contributions of the more than 171,000 Filipinos in Italy. Coloma said Renzi, a former mayor of Florence, had lauded the Filipinos for “being good quality and highly integrated workers.”

Economic issues also figured prominently in the meetings. Aquino and Renzi discussed possibility of the Philippines becoming a manufacturing base for exports to the European Union through the Generalized Scheme of Preferences (GSP), Japan through the Free Trade Agreement and Southeast Asia.

Last year, the European Union granted the GSP+ status to the Philippines which provides duty free entry to some of the country’s most important exports.

The GSP+ preferences cover more than 6,200 tariff lines including fruit and foodstuffs, coconut oil, footwear, fish and textiles.

The Philippines has reaped benefits from the status including the attraction of new industrial investments in sectors where relatively high tariffs are slashed to zero. These include Filipino exports that are labor intensive like pineapple juice, garments, preserved fruits, tuna, fruit jams, jellies and footwear.

Mattarella also discussed the European country’s concern for migrants and refugees from conflict-torn countries. Aquino responded by citing the Philippines’ record in assisting refugees.