AQUINO, BRUNEI PRESIDENT TACKLE ENERGY, SOUTH CHINA SEA IN TALKS
MANILA, JUNE 2, 2011 (BUSINESS WORLD ONLINE) PRESIDENT BENIGNO S. C. Aquino III and Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah of Brunei Darrusalam yesterday discussed possible tie-ups in the energy sector and security issues in the South China Sea, a Palace official said.
Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary Herminio B. Coloma, Jr. said that the two heads of state noted how the global oil supply situation has created "volatility in prices of petroleum products," raising the possibility of bilateral cooperation in natural gas.
Mr. Aquino yesterday left for a two-day state visit to the Southeast Asian neighbor. He returns this afternoon.
Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert F. del Rosario, Finance Secretary Cesar V. Purisima, Trade Secretary Gregory L. Domingo and Mr. Coloma were among the 55-man delegation that accompanied the President.
Prior to his departure, Mr. Aquino noted that Brunei would have the expertise in natural gas, whereas the Philippines had the resources.
"The main thrust is really for the two countries to work together in support of the Philippines' efforts to develop natural gas as an alternative to the fossil fuels that we are now using," said Mr. Coloma in a press conference aired over state-run dzRB.
Mr. Coloma said details, including locations for potential gas projects, will be worked out by technical working groups that will be formed.
Leading up to the discussion, Mr. Coloma also said Mr. Aquino had raised the multilateral dialogue on the code of conduct in the South China Sea, particularly the disputed Spratly Islands, by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and all the claimant countries.
As whether Mr. Aquino had related recent actions in the area -- such as a flyby of unidentified aircraft -- which could be construed as aggressive, Mr. Coloma noted that Mr. Aquino merely "alluded to certain challenges in the area, but that did not constitute a major part of their discussion."
"The President simply told the Sultan that recently there have been some developments in that area which leads us to be even more purposive and determined in seeking the objective of peaceful cooperation and dialogue," he said.
While in Brunei, the President also witnessed the signing of several memoranda of understanding on tourism, agriculture, shipping and ports, and sports development.
In addition, he spoke with members of the Filipino community.
The two-day visit cost only around P2 million, said Executive Secretary Paquito N. Ochoa, Jr., the lowest by the government for a presidential trip since the Ramos administration, the Palace claimed.
In a related development, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has sought explanation from the Chinese embassy regarding new reports of Chinese ships sighted in the disputed Spratlys.
In a statement posted yesterday, the DFA said it requested clarification over reports from the Department of National Defense and the Armed Forces of the Philippines that a Chinese marine surveillance vessel and other People's Liberation Army Navy ships were seen near the Iroquis Reef-Amy Douglas Bank in the South China Sea.
"These ships reportedly unloaded building materials, erected an undetermined number of posts, and placed a buoy near the breaker of the Amy Douglas Bank," the statement read.
"The posts and buoy placed by the Chinese at the vicinity of the Amy Douglas Bank are about 26 nautical mile east of Patag Island and 125 nautical mile from mainland Palawan," the statement added.
The DFA claimed that Amy Douglas Bank is "well within" the Philippines' 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone, southwest of the Recto (Reed) Bank and east of Patag (Flat) Island. The Amy Douglas Bank is uninhabited and no structures have been installed there.
"Any new construction by China in the vicinity of the uninhabited Amy Douglas Bank is a clear violation of the 2002 ASEAN-China Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea," Mr. del Rosario said in the same statement. -- Johanna Paola D. Poblete with NRM
AQUINO IN BRUNEI FOR STATE VISIT
PRESIDENT BENIGNO S. C. Aquino III will meet with Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah and potential investors, as well as look into the welfare of Filipino workers in Brunei Darussalam during a two-day state visit to the Southeast Asian neighbor starting Wednesday.
Mr. Aquino left at 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday aboard a chartered Fokker F-28 aircraft at Villamor Air Base in Pasay City.
He is accompanied by Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert F. del Rosario, Finance Secretary Cesar V. Purisima and Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary Herminio B. Coloma, Jr.
The invitation from the Sultan is a rare opportunity, said Mr. Aquino in his departure speech, to strengthen bilateral relations and promote to investors the improved conditions and advantages of putting up a business in the Philippines.
"We shall invite their businessmen to bring their businesses to our country," the President said in Filipino.
"By establishing their businesses in the Philippines, more of our countrymen will be assisted in improving their lives."
In an earlier interview, Mr. Aquino said he was interested in exploring links in the energy and transport sectors.
According to the President's schedule, he will be meeting with the Brunei Economic Development Board, QAF Brunei SDN BHD Co. Ltd, Brunei Investment Agency and MASHHOR Group of Companies.
Mr. Aquino said the meeting with the Sultan will take up ways to combat transnational crimes, calamity mitigation and bilateral assistance to counter the effects of global warming and rising oil prices.
He will also extend the country's gratitude to Brunei for fulfilling its role as a member of the International Monitoring Team in Mindanao, which has advanced the government's peace negotiations with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. Brunei had been instrumental in sealing an agreement between the government and the Moro National Liberation Front in 1996 as a member of the Organization of Islamic Conference Peace Committee on Southern Philippines.
While in Brunei, the President said he will also meet with the Filipino community at the Rizqun International Hotel.
Official data show an estimated 18,589 overseas Filipino workers who are with their families in Brunei as of December 2010. -- Johanna Paola D. Poblete
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Chief News Editor: Sol Jose Vanzi
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