MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan is asking the Senate to investigate the so-called “Ayungin Deal” or “Provisional Understanding” that the Philippines entered with China for the former’s rotation and resupply mission operations to the grounded BRP Sierra Madre.
Pangilinan filed on Monday Senate Resolution 536, which directs the appropriate Senate committee to conduct an inquiry, in aid of legislation, into the deal with China “to determine its consistency with the 2016 arbitral award and its implication(s) on the Philippines’ sovereign rights in the West Philippine Sea.”
In the resolution, the senator cited the final and binding 2016 Arbitral Tribunal victory awarded to the Philippines to invalidate the basis of China’s claims in the West Philippine Sea, and render Ayungin Shoal (Second Thomas Shoal) as a low-tide elevation within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ) and continental shelf.
Pangilinan said that questions have been raised regarding the legal basis, scope, and implications of any understanding governing Philippine activities at Ayungin Shoal, highlighting the need to ensure its consistency with the 2016 Arbitral Award, United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, and established principles of Philippine sovereignty, sovereign rights, and jurisdiction.
The senator also wants to look into whether there are “adequate institutional safeguards” to ensure accountability in the negotiation of future arrangements that affect the country’s maritime rights.
