Two presidents let China exploit our seabeds
China warships illegally survey Luzon coastal seabeds. It’s as if we’re still under pro-Beijing Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, 2001-2010, and Rodrigo Duterte, 2016-2022.
In September 2004, Arroyo sneaked off to China to sign a secret Joint Marine Seismic Undertaking. Manila and Beijing were to jointly explore 142,886 square kilometers of seabed straddling Palawan’s westside.
JMSU covered Sampaguita Field in Recto (Reed) bank. State geologists in the 1970s had found gas there like nearby Malampaya.
Arroyo conceded the area as “disputed waters.” Yet one-sixth was Philippine territory consisting of Palawan’s continental shelf, and the rest exclusive economic zone.
One of the nine coordinates was only 25 kilometers from Palawan’s Balabac town. The only “disputed waters” with China then were the Spratlys at the edge of Philippine 370-km (200-mile) EEZ.
Vietnam got wind of the deal, and demanded participation as a Spratly disputant. Arroyo had to make JMSU Tripartite in March 2005, valid for three years. Vietnam later lost interest since Philippine territory was involved.
Geopolitics writer Barry Wain blew the lid off the clandestine exploration in a 2008 report in Far Eastern Economic Review. Only then did Filipinos learn about JMSU.
By then Arroyo had plunked more than $5-million of the $16-million three-way expense.
JMSU expired March 2008 with unfinished work. A clause enabled Beijing to wangle one-year extension. Under public fire, Arroyo balked.
For not joining JMSU Part-two, Manila forfeited receipt of its copy of the survey report.
In 2009, Beijing filed a claim over the entire South China Sea. Invoking “historical rights” via nine-dash line, it bolstered its claim with the JMSU report.
Experts denounced Arroyo for seven Constitutional violations:
(1) Ceding Philippine seabed as disputed, against Article I, National Territory;
(2) Surrendering “national sovereignty, territorial integrity, national interest,” Article II, Declaration of Principles, Section 7;
(3) Allowing 66.6-percent foreign exploration of natural resources, against Article XII, National Economy and Patrimony, Section 2, which limits them to only 40 percent;
(4) Failure to “notify Congress of every contract entered into in accordance with (Section 2) within thirty days from its execution;”
(5) Again Section 2, giving up “full control and supervision by the State” of “exploration, development, utilization of natural resources;”
(6) Under cutting Congress, Article VII, Executive Department, Section 21, “No treaty or international agreement shall be valid and effective unless concurred in by at least two-thirds of all the Members of the Senate;”
(7) Spending more than $5 million without Congress appropriation, Article VI, Legislative Department, Section 29 (1).
Arroyo evaded impeachment and prosecution.
In March 2018, Duterte authorized joint exploration, development, and utilization of Recto oil and gas. His pretext: government had no money, and “China co-owns the disputed waters anyway.”
Yet, at that time, Filipino-owned Forum Energy was ready to drill Sampaguita. Its only request was for government protection against repeated Chinese harassment.
Duterte ignored Forum. It turned out that Beijing was invoking JMSU provisos to force a joint drilling.
In February 2024, the Supreme Court invalidated JMSU. By then, damage was done by two traitors.
Sampaguita remains idle today. Malampaya is drying up in two years, threatening 12-hour daily blackouts in Luzon – no work, no pay, no hospital, no church, no food, no water, no communication.
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For eight minutes, trolls again swarmed my Facebook page last Tuesday. Target this time was my report, “Comelec chief Garcia charged with 61 million counts of cyber-fraud,” posted July 18th.
All 92 comments idolized Comelec Chairman George Garcia. All bad-mouthed the bishops, retired generals, and professionals who charged Garcia at the NBI with election “system interference.”
Contracting a troll army costs millions of pesos. From the contrived comments, you can surmise who called for troll support.
Like the earlier attack on my column, “Swell headed vs hardheaded: public suffers Chiz’s temper,” posted July 2nd, this trolling will likely be charged to us taxpayers.
Trolling is proof of any official’s crookedness.
Like before, I reported to FB the “coordinated inauthentic behavior” that breaks its policies. The trolls should be barred for “hate speech,” “disinformation,” “spamming:”
• Ninety-two comments came in one wave, 4:43-4:51 a.m., July 22nd, proof of concerted action;
• All 92 comments came from only 28 accounts, again proof of planned assault;
• One account posted two comments, 18 accounts posted three comments each, nine posted four each, again obviously orchestrated;
• Twenty-two accounts were created only in October, and two in December 2024, indicating troll army recruitment;
• Breakdown: five on Oct. 16th, one on Oct. 20th, six on Oct. 27th, eight on Oct. 28th, two on Oct. 30th, two on Dec. 21st;
• Four accounts are locked so creation dates are hidden, but their profile pictures are odd: one is facing backwards, three are blurry, all likely stolen identities;
• One account is “friend” of eight other commenters who are not “friend” of each other, implying that the first one is their leader;
• Other accounts have common “friends,” but not of each other;
• All have no previous profile photos, implying alias accounts;
• Three have random cover photos of the sky, one of a cat, another of a road sign, while most have none, meaning no personality aesthetic;
• All have no messages to or photos of family and friends, not even “like” or “laugh” reactions, meaning no normal social-media life;
• Their timelines show previous “shares” that are now all deleted, an abnormality;
• All do not “follow” any legitimate account, showing asocial behavior on social-media.
Readers can continue to share my columns about officials on the hot seat.
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Catch Sapol radio show, Saturdays, 8 to 10 a.m., DWIZ (882-AM).
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