Senators back Marcos Jr.'s oil exploration tack

• Published date: 03 December 2022
• Publication title: Philippines Daily Inquirer

Sen. Risa Hontiveros on Friday said President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. should make good on his pronouncement that the Philippines will consider other ways to search for oil and gas in the West Philippine Sea after the President said talks with China have reached a stalemate.

The talks were stalled after China insisted that any agreement follow Chinese laws although the areas under consideration are within the Philippines' exclusive economic zone (EEZ) and China's claims to those areas have been rejected as illegal under international law.

'The President's words should be backed up by actual exploration,' Hontiveros told reporters. 'I hope this is not just lip service, which we have heard before.'

The opposition senator said she would support the initiative to explore the resource-rich maritime region within the country's 370-kilometer EEZ as long as it is consistent with the Constitution.

The Philippine National Oil Co., she added, should take the lead in the possible agreements that the...