Duterte-Xi agreement on EEZ ‘informal’ – Palace

President Rodrigo Duterte’s agreement with Chinese President Xi Jin Ping allows Chinese fishermen to trawl in the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone. ABS-CBN NEWS
President Rodrigo Duterte’s agreement with Chinese President Xi Jin Ping allows Chinese fishermen to trawl in the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone. ABS-CBN NEWS

MANILA – Malacañang said the agreement entered by President Rodrigo Duterte to Chinese President Xi Jin Ping on allowing Chinese fishermen to trawl in the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ) was “informal.”


Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo on Monday said the informal agreement meant that Filipino fishermen could fish in the country’s EEZ without being shooed away by Chinese fishermen.


“I think that was more of an informal agreement rather than documented,” Panelo said. “It is being enforced in a way that we’re being allowed to fish there in the areas that fishermen could not at the time.”


Panelo added the country cannot enforce a 2016 ruling of the Permanent Court of Arbitration which stated that the Philippines’ EEZ and in its marine resources belonged to the Philippines. 


“The problem is as we have repeatedly said, we cannot enforce it except by way of force,” Panelo said. “Our solution is to negotiate, to be friendly with them. Things we could get out of this arbitral ruling, we may be able to get through negotiations.”


“As far as (China) is concerned, they are not part of that because they refuse to be part of that arbitration. Can we do something about it? We can only protest as we always do,” he added.


Duterte last week said he could not prevent the Chinese fishermen in the Philippines’ EEZ due to a “mutual agreement” he made with Xi. Critics said Duterte’s statement is an impeachable offense.


“Why impeachable, I cannot even understand. He is precisely enforcing the Constitution, Section 4, Article 2. Ine-enforce mo na nga ‘yung basis ng lahat ng provision,” Panelo said.


“China would not want that. In other words, what benefit do you have if you enforce that provision then losing everything? He is going beyond the provision,” he added. 


Philippines has long been involved in a maritime dispute with China, which claimed nearly all of the South China Sea. Relations between the two nations have improved considerably under Duterte./PN

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