PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte's agreement to a joint probe with China over the Recto (Reed) Bank incident is unnecessary and may be interpreted as a waiver of the Philippines' right of ownership of the area, said Senator Panfilo Lacson.
Duterte accepted earlier the Chinese government's offer to conduct a joint investigation on the sinking of a Filipino fishing boat, which was rammed by a Chinese trawler in the Recto Bank on June 9.
MalacaƱang said on June 22 that the President sought the creation of three-man joint investigating panel composed of one representative each from the Philippines, China and a "neutral" country to achieve a "mutually-recognized results."
But Lacson said Sunday, June 23, that the Recto Bank is being covered by the Philippine's sovereign rights since it falls to the arbitral ruling that it is within the 200 nautical miles of its exclusive economic zone (EEZ).
"Ang Recto Bank ay part ng 200 nautical miles na EEZ. Meron tayong sovereign rights over Recto Bank. Dapat tayo ang may jurisdiction doon (Recto Bank is part of the 200 nautical miles of EEZ. We have sovereign rights over it, thus we should have jurisdiction)," said Lacson in a radio interview Monday, June 24.
"Ang aking panawagan lang, kung di mapipigilan ang pagsagawa ng joint investigation with China, i-address lang ang issue na yan clearly doon sa kung meron silang gagawing terms of reference (If we can't prevent the joint investigation with China, I hope the issue will be addressed clearly, if they will create terms of reference)," he added.
Lacson said the Philippines should instead conduct a sole investigation on the incident.
"Una, ang fishermen natin ang naagrabyado. Pangalawa, naroon tayo sa loob ng EEZ natin. Bakit tayo mag-share ng investigation?" he said.
He said the probe should cover the formal findings on the ramming incident and the abandoning of the Filipino fishermen.
"Kailangan formalize pa natin by way of a formal finding sa investigation na sila inabandona ng nakabangga o bumangga sa kanila," he said.
He added that while the intention of the Duterte administration to preserve the country's bilateral relations with China is laudable, "presumably for political and economic reasons in order to uplift the living standards of our people, we should also consider the more important issue of sovereign rights and territorial integrity."
He also warned about China's "cabbage strategy" to take over the disputed West Philippine Sea (WPS).
"China may cabbage strategy sila sa WPS. Wrap nila ang islands, layer by layer, until such time napakahirap nang maabot. Sa kanila nanggaling mismo yan. May isang military expert sila Major General Zhang Zhaozhong, sinabi niya ano ang kanilang gagawin sa WPS," he said.
"China's 'cabbage strategy' in the West Philippine Sea is working very well for the Chinese, 'wrapping the islands layer by layer like a cabbage.' If we cannot see the Recto Bank incident as part of that strategy, then we deserve to be cooked like a cabbage," he said in a post on Twitter.
He said the strategy involved China denying supplies, such as food and water, for the Philippine troops deployed to the disputed areas.
He also added that China threatened the Philippine troops and this would eventually allow China to slowly assert its presence in the West Philippine Sea.
"Kung ito gugutumin natin, tatakutin natin, magugutom at mauuhaw, pag-alis niyan hindi na babalik yan. [Ang] nangyari sa Recto Bank ay posibleng part ng cabbage strategy ng China. Tayo na may kasalanan dahil unti-unti parang urong tayo ng urong, sila naman sulong ng sulong," he said. (Ryniel Berlanga/SunStar Philippines)