MANILA — Manila is open to resuming negotiation with Beijing on oil and gas exploration in the West Philippine Sea despite a territorial dispute, Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo said Wednesday.

Manalo said he signified to Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and more recently, to visiting Chinese official Liu Jianchao, the Philippines’ openness to energy talks.

"[The] Philippines is open to talks on oil and gas because we think that we need to see how we can develop those resources, gas and oil, which especially nowadays are in sore need and certainly the Philippines will need it not only for now but for the long term," Manalo told the Commission on Appointments' foreign affairs committee.

• Chinese minister says hopes to resume joint oil, gas exploration talks with PH

The previous Duterte administration had canceled energy talks with China, citing constitutional limits.

Responding to a query from Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri, Manalo confirmed that Beijing had wanted Manila to abide by Chinese law if a joint exploration and development were to take place.

China also wanted its jurisdiction to be recognized over the area as its internal waters and not part of international laws, he said.

“Ang nangyari (what happened is that) there was actually no agreement kasi (because) we could not accept the last proposal of China simply because if we would accept even one of them, it would have contravened the Constitution of the Philippines and also the sovereignty of the Philippines,” Manalo said.

• Locsin: PH pulled out of oil, gas talks with China

He said the Philippines tried to insist on Philippine law but China did not agree.

"I’m thinking that perhaps, maybe if we continue [to] talk, we might find a way forward," Manalo said.

"But our hope is that whatever agreement is reached, we will not agree to anything that is inconsistent [with] the Philippine Constitution. We can agree to any kind of terms or measures provided they are consistent and in accordance with the Philippine Constitution and Philippine laws," he added.

Asked if China would insist on developing oil and gas alone, Manalo said he hoped Beijing would not try to as there would be “political and foreign policy consequences.”

Manalo said there was no other country that expressed interest to develop the area so far.

In his opening remarks to the CA committee deliberating on his appointment, Manalo said the country would continue to uphold the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and the 2016 arbitral award.

President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. earlier said the Hague ruling that invalidated Beijing's sweeping claims in the South China Sea would be used "to continue to assert our territorial rights."

• Marcos wants 'bilateral cooperation with China' while 'asserting' claim in West PH Sea
• Marcos gov't to keep protesting vs China sea incursion, says security adviser

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SULU SULTAN HEIRS

Meanwhile, Manalo said government agencies would come up with a common statement on the implications of the victory of the heirs of the Sulu sultanate against Malaysia on their claim to Sabah.

“We have discussed it and the Department of Foreign Affairs is coordinating with other agencies to assess the nature and the implications of the issue and I am in touch with them and our feeling is that this is an issue which involves legal, political aspects," Manalo said.

"What is important is the other agencies or departments of the government also give us their views so if we do issue a statement, we’re pretty clear what the implications would be. This is under active consideration still and I think once we get something, we of course would try to come up with a common statement if needed."

• Study on arbitral ruling favoring Sulu sultan heirs vs Malaysia may take some time

The committee suspended the consideration of Manalo’s appointment due to lack of time as members intended to ask more questions.

CA APPROVALS

Meanwhile, the CA foreign affairs committee approved and recommended to the plenary the nomination of Ambassador to US Jose Manuel Romualdez and Ambassador Antonio Lagdameo as Philippine Permanent Representative to the United Nations.

Responding to questions about the cancellation of the Philippines’ deal to buy choppers from Russia, Romualdez said he has taken the matter up with Pentagon officials, particularly Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin during a visit to the US by former Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana.

“We did mention that we need to have a replacement for this heavy lift helicopters that we were ordering from Russia and Secretary Austin indicated that they will find a way to be able to help us on that,” Romualdez said.

“From what I am told, they are offering an additional 13 or 14 Black Hawk helicopters that will be upgraded to… heavy lift type of helicopters… Our military, defense department is looking into that right now,” he continued.

• PH calls off chopper deal with Russia, Lorenzana confirms

Romualdez said he proposed asking Russia to give the Philippines other materials in exchange for its $38 million downpayment on the helicopters.

“I have given the idea to Secretary Manalo that perhaps we can look at asking the Russian government to give us other things, outside of military hardware, perhaps oil, we don’t know, but perhaps things that we can get, arms perhaps, for our police or other material that we can get from them as a replacement for the $38 million," he said.

"This, of course, will take some effort from our part but because we do still have (good) relationship with Russia although we are very much against the war in Ukraine but we want to be able to see whether that is something that we can explore."

• Ukraine welcomes cancellation of Philippines' Russia chopper deal

The CA plenary later confirmed the appointments of Romualdez and Lagdameo.

CAYETANO VS HONTIVEROS

Meanwhile, Senators Alan Peter Cayetano and Risa Hontiveros traded barbs on the Philippine human rights record while deliberating on the nomination of Lagdameo.

Lagdameo vowed to bring to the attention of the international community the human rights situation in the country and said that local courts were dealing with extra-judicial killings.

Cayetano EJK cases were lower during the Aquino administration because then Justice Secretary Leila de Lima had changed the definition of EJKs to exclude ideology-related killings.

Hontiveros said it was unfair to accuse the detained de Lima of manipulating the numbers.

Cayetano retorted it was an official act of the former secretary and that he was not making accusations.

Hontiveros replied there was no need to question the credentials of colleagues and that Lagdameo was the one facing the CA panel, not De Lima.

Hontiveros and Cayetano have been at odds since she questioned his appointment as the CA minority leader. Hontiveros had said Cayetano was not a member of the Senate minority bloc and that she cannot work under him "in conscience" because of this.

• 'She wants the position': Cayetano slams Hontiveros over CA post
• Hontiveros questions Cayetano’s appointment as CA minority rep

Cayetano insisted he is still technically a minority member in the Senate since did not vote for Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri. But Cayetano clarified that he is not a part of the minority bloc consisting of Hontiveros and Sen. Koko Pimentel.

Cayetano also defended his selection, citing his experience and qualifications. He claimed Hontiveros was after his CA post, which she denied.

• 'She wants the position': Cayetano slams Hontiveros over CA post
• ‘Gusto nya lahat-lahat?’: Hontiveros slams Cayetano anew over CA post

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