Aquino: Spratly issue “A regional concern that would require a regional multilateral solution.”,
Posted on 22 September 2011 by mikeinmanila
Any understanding between the Philippines and any party of interest in the Spratly islands issue wouldn’t add confusion among the Spratly claimant countries, President Spokesman Edwin Lacierda said.
Philippine President Benigno S. Aquino III exchanges pleasantries with US President Barack Obama during the formal launching of the Open Government Partnership (OGP) at the Ballroom of the Waldorf Astoria at Park Avenue, Tuesday afternoon (September 20) in line with his working visit to the United States of America. The Philippines is one of only two countries from Asia invited to become a member of the Steering Committee of OGP. Other members are the United States, Brazil, United Kingdom, Indonesia, Mexico, Norway and South Africa. Open Government Partnership is a new multilateral initiative that aims to promote transparency, empower citizens, fight corruption, and harness new technologies to strengthen governance. Members of the Steering Committee were selected based on the following criteria: Fiscal Transparency, Access to Information, Disclosures Related to Elected Officials and Citizen Engagement.
“It’s a regional concern. I don’t think that we’re pulling in anyone else and it’s a fact that the Japanese are concerned with freedom of navigation and that is a regional issue. We’ve always maintained a multi-lateral solution to that, to the issue of the West Philippine Sea,” Lacierda explained.
It was reported that the Japanese ambassador to the Philippines said that both countries will exchange notes about the diplomatic solution to the South China Sea issue during the President’s visit.
The President will be on an official visit to Japan on September 25 to 28.
Lacierda said that during the president’s interview with the Japanese media last week, he said that Japan also considers the West Philippine Sea as strategic because its products pass through there which is why it wants to ensure freedom of navigation in the area.
The President always maintained that the West Philippine Sea is a regional concern that would require a regional solution, Lacierda said quoting the President as saying.
During his interview with the Japanese press, the President said he hasn’t changed his position that he mentioned in his state-of-the -nation address in July underscoring that “what is ours is ours” and that the country’s rights will be defended.
Both the Philippines and China have stated publicly that they will be governed by the international law in resolving the Spratly issue.
“We want a peaceful resolution to that conflict and that has not changed,” said the Chief Executive.
But also noted that it is a lateral problem because of the multiple claimants to the Spratly islands and any agreement between two claimant countries will not be binding to other countries that are also making claims.
The commercial interest of the US and Japan also has tremendous impact on the West Philippine sea issue, the chief executive said, noting that it could positively affect the situation in the area.
“So when you have not just us, when you have other claimant countries, when you have other parties that are interested and have interests in this body of water then everybody is forced to become more cooperative,” he said.
“And the more people involved, the less potential for disputes or conflicts that might have unintended and disastrous consequences,” the President added.
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There was no west philippines sea even before, p(a)no(t)y invented it to sparked war on the region. DANGEROUS, This man is Evils.
actually going back to thr uk period in the 1700 s when thye briefly occupied manila they named thr seas as west and east philippine seas. the spanih did not want it confused. but it remained on royal naval charts until the brits got HK and Alalaya as colonies.