THE Philippines it is open to having a joint exploration with foreign entities in the disputed South China Sea, as long as it is compliant with the 1987 Constitution and local laws, a Palace official said.
"The President is open to possible cooperation with foreign entities in exploring and extracting mineral and gas resources in the West Philippine Sea," Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella said in a statement issued Thursday.
"Any venture, however, must be compliant with the Philippine Constitution and local laws, and have terms which protect the national interest and are beneficial to the Filipino people," he added.
Abella's statement came a day after Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano said that the President has given the greenlight to push through with the joint exploration with China in the contested waters.
Cayetano, in an interview on Wednesday, allayed fears that the Philippines may lose its sovereign rights over the disputed waters once it enters into a joint exploration deal with China.
"The Philippines will not lose its territory. It will not lose its sovereignty rights. The instruction to us right now is to move ahead," the country's top diplomat said.
The Philippines and China agreed to settle the territorial dispute in the South China Sea through diplomatic dialogue.
The Duterte administration has maintained its position to push for "non-adversarial" approach with Beijing, as it seeks to mend ties with the Chinese government.
Sought for clarification whether the Philippines will be limiting the joint oil and gas exploration with China, Abella said the administration has "options."
"We have options. We are not limiting ourselves to exclusive economic relationships," he said.
On July 24, Duterte said that the impending joint exploration activities between the two countries would be similar to a "joint venture agreement."
"When they start to excavate the gas and all, I tell you, it’s going to be just like a joint venture. So it will be fair," he said in an interview after his second State of the Nation Address.
China has constantly asserted its entire claim over the South China Sea despite a July 2016 decision of the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague declaring that the Philippines had exclusive economic rights over reefs and waters that lie within its 200-mile exclusive economic zone. (SunStar Philippines)