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ALTHOUGH
the Joint Marine Seismic Undertaking (JMSU) between the
national oil companies of China, Vietnam and the
Philippines has expired, the government has yet to
determine its next move.
The JMSU
is a three-year commercial agreement between the
Philippine National Oil Co. (PNOC), China National
Offshore Oil Co. and PetroVietnam to jointly gather
seismic data in certain areas of the South China Sea.
“We’re
still discussing the issue [whether to extend or end the
JMSU],” Energy Secretary Angelo Reyes told reporters in
an interview. The energy chief acknowledged that the
JMSU has already expired.
Reyes
quickly added that discussions, however, are still
ongoing and continuing. “There is a committee meeting
organized for that purpose, and the lead department is
the Department of Foreign Affairs,” said Reyes.
Jacinto
Paras of PNOC-Exploration Corp. earlier said they
decided to put on hold their decision on whether to
extend the tripartite agreement with China and Vietnam
under the JMSU.
The JMSU
covers an area of 142,886 square kilometers for seismic
study. Apparently, previous officials of the PNOC and
the Department of Energy ) even consider the JMSU a big
step toward transforming a previous area of conflict
into an area for possible cooperation and mutual
benefit.
The
agreement was designed to be commercial in nature and
does not affect territorial claims of the respective
countries of the area. Under Article 6 of the JMSU,
pending a comprehensive and durable settlement of the
disputes, the parties concerned may explore or undertake
cooperative activities. |
