Chalssea Kate Echegoyen

Philippine Coast Guard personnel are seen onboard rubber boats as they sail near Chinese vessels believed to be manned by Chinese maritime militia personnel at Julian Felipe Reef, South China Sea, in a handout photo distributed by the Philippine Coast guard April 15 and taken according to the source either on April 13 or 14. Handout, Philippine Coast Guard

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Bianca Dava

ABS-CBN News

<div><br/></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/wNyviddK3Gs?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div><p>MANILA — Retired Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio on Thursday said any potential agreement with China on oil and gas exploration in the West Philippine Sea should strictly comply with Philippine law and reject what Beijing refers to as “joint development.”</p><p>Carpio underscored that resources within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ) belong solely to the country under the Constitution and the 2016 Arbitral Award.</p><p>“The use and enjoyment of the EEZ (Exclusive Economic Zone) is reserved exclusively for Filipino citizens,” Carpio said.</p><p>“That is the Philippine Constitution, that is the directive. And under UNCLOS (United NationsL Convention on the Law of the Sea), we see the adjacent coastal state has the exclusive sovereign right to exploit all the natural resources in its EEZ,” Carpio said. </p><p>Carpio warned that China’s concept of “joint development” implied shared ownership of resources within Philippine waters.</p><p>“Joint development means China owns the oil and gas, but out of friendship with other countries, it will allow other countries to participate in developing the oil or gas field,” he said. </p><p>Instead, he proposed what he described as “joint cooperation,” where foreign entities could participate under the Philippines’ service contract system.</p><p>“As long as the development is under the service contract system of the Philippines, we are safe,” he said, adding that any agreement must clearly state that the resources belong to the Philippines and that Philippine law governs the contract.</p><p>“Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia—they have not agreed to enter into a joint development with China on the basis of China’s joint development concept because the moment you accept China’s joint development concept, you agree that China owns the oil and gas,” he said.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/4/6/ph-china-joint-oil-exploration-talks-spark-sovereignty-issues-1703">PH-China joint oil exploration talks spark sovereignty issues</a></div><div><strong>REWARDING BAD BEHAVIOR?</strong></div><p>Akbayan party-list Rep. Percival Cendaña warned that entering into a joint exploration deal with China despite ongoing tensions in the West Philippine Sea could send the wrong message.</p><p>“Entering a joint energy deal under these conditions effectively says, ‘If you push hard enough, you get a seat at the table and you get to bring home the table with you.’ This is not diplomacy. This is incentivizing coercion,” he told reporters during the press conference.</p><p>He added that such a move risks rewarding China’s continued harassment and pressure at sea.</p><p>“We are arguing that the joint exploration is actually rewarding bad behavior. If this deal risks rewarding bad behavior in the West Philippine Sea, how are we going to get past what China is doing—using force against our fellowmen and trespassing? China has used harassment, maritime pressure and legal defiance in the West Philippine Sea,” he asserted.</p><p>Cendaña cautioned that the approach could set a dangerous precedent in the region.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/3/29/ph-resumes-talks-raises-concern-over-china-s-actions-in-west-ph-sea-1011">PH raises concern over China’s actions in West PH Sea at Fujian meeting</a></div><div><strong>CALLS FOR FULL TRANSPARENCY</strong></div><p>Akbayan Rep. Chel Diokno called on the government to ensure full transparency in any negotiations involving the country’s natural resources.</p><p>“Transparency should be a governing principle in our foreign and energy policies. Any discussion involving our natural resources is a public matter. The Filipino people have the right to know the terms, conditions, and even concessions being negotiated,” Diokno said.</p><p>He warned against secret negotiations, saying, “An agreement formed without transparency raises serious red flags.”</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/3/26/palace-marcos-has-no-secret-deals-on-joint-oil-exploration-with-china-1654">Palace: Marcos ‘has no secret deals’ on joint oil exploration with China</a></div><p>Diokno added that Congress was prepared to exercise oversight.</p><p>“We will ask the House Special Committee on the West Philippine Sea, together with other relevant committees, to exercise oversight and look into these oil talks… We must ensure that our officials are acting within the bounds of the law and national interest,” Diokno said.</p><div><strong>LACK OF POLITICAL WILL</strong></div><p>Carpio said the Philippines has both legal and international backing to explore resources in the West Philippine Sea but has yet to act decisively.</p><p>He cited Malaysia and Indonesia, which continued oil and gas exploration in their EEZs despite warnings from China.</p><p>“They were not intimidated,” he said, noting that both countries deployed survey and drilling ships with naval support.</p><p>In contrast, Carpio said the Philippines has yet to take similar steps in areas like Recto Bank (Reed Bank).</p><p>“We have no political will to send the survey ship, the drill ship to Reed Bank accompanied by our navy. We have to do what Malaysia and Indonesia have been doing. Because, otherwise, we will have diesel for P200 and gasoline doubling in price while the gas is there,” Carpio said.</p><p>“The Constitution and the Arbitral Award say it’s ours—it exclusively belongs to the Philippines. Bakit hindi natin kunin? Ano ang dahilan bakit hindi makuha ang gas? It’s political will. Wala tayong political will,” he added.</p><div><strong>FINDING RELIABLE PARTNERS</strong></div><p>Akbayan President Rafaela David urged the government to rethink its approach, stressing that energy security should not come at the expense of sovereignty.</p><p>“The government must protect us from predatory agreements with global superpowers like China, which is exploiting this crisis as an opportunity to coerce us to make dangerous concessions that will cost us our seas,” she said.</p><p>David called for partnerships with countries that respect Philippine and international law.</p><p>“We should be able to look for partners na mapagkakatiwalaan natin—alam nating irerespeto ang batas ng Pilipinas at ng mundo, and at the end of the day, ay we have to have better standards,” David said.</p><p>“Huwag naman tayong mag-settle for an abuser na nandiyan na nga, inaabuso ka na, tapos magbibigay ka pa ng karagatan mo, isla mo, langis mo. Napakahalaga na on the one hand, we uphold the international and local laws, our Constitution, and we look for a partner that we can depend on,” she continued.</p><p>She said any agreement on oil and gas exploration should be grounded in trust, accountability, and respect for Philippine sovereignty.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/3/31/afp-china-exploiting-middle-east-conflict-to-intensify-west-philippine-sea-activities-1519">AFP: China exploiting Middle East conflict to intensify West PH Sea activities</a></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/nVa03rM7QPY?&amp;pp=0gcJCdoKAYcqIYzv&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span></div>

<p>Retired Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio on Thursday said any potential agreement with China on oil and gas exploration in the West Philippine Sea should strictly comply with Philippine law and reject what Beijing refers to as “joint development.”</p>

Retired Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio on Thursday said any potential agreement with China on oil and gas exploration in the West Philippine Sea should strictly comply with Philippine law and reject what Beijing refers to as “joint development.”

Carpio pushes ‘joint cooperation’ in oil talks with China; lawmakers demand transparency

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Carpio pushes ‘joint cooperation’ in oil talks with China; lawmakers demand transparency

Bianca Dava,

ABS-CBN News

Published April 09, 2026 04:14 PM PHT

Read More:

China

Philippines

West Philippine Sea

EEZ

Oil

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