Romualdez: House to proceed with ‘gentleman’s agreement’ probe

SPEAKER Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez on Monday said the House of Representatives will push through with its investigation into the so-called “gentleman’s agreement” in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) amid growing concerns about its impact on the country’s sovereignty and territory.

“In the exercise of our oversight powers, we will direct the appropriate House Committee to conduct an inquiry, in aid of legislation, to determine the adverse impact of such agreement on our national interests, particularly our sovereignty, sovereign rights, and territorial integrity,” Speaker Romualdez said in his speech during the resumption of session.

Speaker Romualdez said the House leadership supports President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. in denouncing the secret “gentleman’s agreement” between former President Rodrigo Roa Duterte and Chinese President Xi Jinping concerning WPS.

“Like [President Marcos Jr.], we are ‘horrified’ by the idea of compromising the country’s rights over [WPS],” the leader of the 300 plus-strong legislative chamber said.

Duterte recently admitted reaching an agreement with Xi to maintain the “status quo” in the WPS. This arrangement involved abstaining from transporting construction materials for the repair and maintenance of the BRP Sierra Madre, a grounded Navy ship serving as a Philippine outpost in Ayungin Shoal.

Speaker Romualdez echoed President Marcos’ concern about the seriousness of compromising the nation’s rights in the WPS.

“Ayungin Shoal is part of the country’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) as reaffirmed by the 2016 arbitral ruling on the South China Sea arbitration case,” Speaker Romualdez pointed out, citing legal precedent to support the Philippines’ territorial claims.

The House chief also referred to Article 56 of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea or UNCLOS, which provides that “the coastal state, which in this case is clearly the Philippines, has the right to build and maintain structures within its EEZ.”

“This would clearly mean that our country has every right to protect and safeguard all features within our [EEZ] including the Ayungin Shoal,” he stressed.

“Our country’s territory, sovereignty, and sovereign rights may have been compromised by a deal disguised as an ‘agreement’ to maintain the peace and status quo in the [WPS],” he added.

He also said that the so-called “gentleman’s agreement” on the non-supply of the BRP Sierra Madre grounded in Ayungin Shoal was “tantamount to the surrender of our country’s sovereign rights over [EEZ].”

“We believe that, in the end, upholding our territorial integrity and sovereignty in accordance with our Constitution and with international law is what matters the most,” the Speaker said.