Palace: 2 S.

China Sea areas considered for joint exploration with China

Dharel Placido, ABS-CBN News

Posted at Mar 02 2018 05:06 PM

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MANILA - Malacañang on Friday said the Philippines is considering at least two areas in the South China
Sea for possible joint exploration with China.

Joint exploration talks between Filipino, Chinese firms 'moving forward,' Roque says

Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said Service Contracts (SC) 57 and 72 are being considered for
joint exploration “by corporations and not by sovereign states.”

“We are still in the process of negotiating with China,” Roque said of the two SCs in a news conference
in Tarlac.

Despite conflicting claims in the South China Sea, the Philippines and China have been open to
conducting joint explorations in the disputed waters, setting aside a 2016 international tribunal ruling
that invalidated Beijing’s expansive nine-dash line claim to the sea.

Philippines beats China in international court

A joint exploration, however, is seen as a sensitive undertaking as it could be construed as legitimizing

the other side’s claim.

Duterte’s predecessor, Benigno Aquino III, had shunned any joint exploration with China during his time,
saying Beijing wanted the Philippines to play by its rules.
Roque said SC 57 is much easier to implement as there is no sovereignty issue there. SC 57 covers
offshore Northwest Palawan or west of the Calamian islands.

SC 57 has been pending since 2005 and has been delayed due to administrative issues. According to the
contract, state-run China National Offshore Oil Company (CNOOC) farmed-in into SC 57 in 2006
acquiring 51 percent participating interest.

The other firms involved in the project are state-run Philippine National Oil Company - Exploration
Corporation and Mitra Energy Ltd (now Jadestone Energy Inc).

The deed of assignment to formalize its entry has yet to be signed by the President.

SC 72, which covers Reed Bank, on the other hand, is also located within the 200-nautical mile (370-km)
exclusive economic zone of the Philippines, but it rests in a portion of the sea being claimed by China.

Philippine oil and gas firm PXP Energy Corp, formerly Philex Petroleum, has a 70 percent interest
through its Forum Energy subsidiary in the Reed Bank project.

Discussions on SC 72 hit a snag after Aquino questioned the basis of China's claims before an
international arbitration court in January 2013, a case that Manila won shortly after he relinquished
power to Duterte in July 2016.

Duterte refused to flaunt the ruling, choosing instead to repair diplomatic and economic ties with Beijing
as he shifted foreign policy away from Manila's traditional ally, Washington.

'No way': Carpio rejects joint venture with China in West PH Sea

-- with reports from Willard Cheng, ABS-CBN News, and Reuters

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TV Patrol

Sumbong ng 2 magsasaka sa CHR: 'Na-torture, sinilaban' daw ng militar

ABS-CBN News

Posted at Mar 02 2018 08:09 PM

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Watch more in iWantv or TFC.tv

Nagsampa ng reklamo sa Commission on Human Rights (CHR) ang dalawang magsasaka at ang grupong
Karapatan hinggil sa umano'y unang kaso ng torture ng militar habang umiiral ang martial law sa
Mindanao.

Congress extends Mindanao martial law until end of 2018

Sa mga retratong kuha ng Karapatan-Southern Mindanao, makikita ang lapnos na balat ng magsasakang
si Janry Mensis.
Sa tulong ng grupo, nagtungo sa CHR sina Mensis at ang 17 anyos na magsasaka at part-time miner na
kapwa inabuso rin umano ng militar.

Dala ang affidavit at medical report, nais nilang imbestigahan ng CHR ang pagdukot umano sa kanila ng
pulisya sa Tagum City noong Nobyembre 28, 2017.

Pinagbintangan aniya silang magnanakaw at pagkatapos ay ipinasa naman sila sa 71st Infantry Battalion
ng Philippine Army at pinagbintangang miyembro ng New People’s Army.

Duterte declares CPP-NPA as terror group

Na-torture at tinangka pa umano silang sunugin nang buhay sa Compostela Valley.

"Nu'ng nag-aapoy na, dahan-dahan na silang umalis at nu'ng hindi na kaya ng paa ko kasi masakit na, at
sila dahan-dahang umalis, tumakbo na ako kahit nag-aapoy pa," kuwento ni Mensis.

Para sa grupong Karapatan, ito ang kauna-unahang dokumentadong kaso ng pag-torture ng militar
simula nang ipatupad ni Pangulong Rodrigo Duterte ang martial law sa Mindanao.

"Mainam din na i-highlight na nangyari ito na merong batas-militar na ipinatutupad sa Mindanao. Itong
kasong ito ang nagpapatotoo na hindi totoo na walang human rights abuse na nangyayari," ayon kay
Roneo Clamor, secretary general ng Karapatan.

Sa isang pahayag, sinabi ng militar na bukas sila sa anumang imbestigasyon at handang makipagtulungan
sa ikalulutas ng kaso.

"We do not condone any misbehavior of our soldiers...In this allegation, we welcome any investigation
by any legitimate investigating agency," paniniguro ni Major Ezra Balagtey, tagapagsalita ng AFP Eastern
Mindanao Command.