SC rules Arroyo-era joint exploration with China, Vietnam unconstitutional

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In this undated handout photo received from the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) on April 25, 2021, coast guard personnel conduct maritime exercise near Pag-asa island in the West Philippine Sea.

AFP / Philippine Coast Guard, Released

 

MANILA, Philippines — The Supreme Court declared the Tripartite Agreement for Joint Marine Seismic Undertaking (JMSU) among companies from China, Vietnam and Philippines — signed by the administration of then-President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo — as unconstitutional and void.

 

Voting 12-2-1 on Tuesday, the SC en banc held that the JMSU by and among China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC), Vietnam Oil and Gas Corporation (PETROVIETNAM), and the Philippine National Oil Company that covers 142,886 square meters in the South China Sea is uncoinstitutional.

 

"The Court ruled that the JSMU is unconstitutional for allowing wholly-owned foreign corporations to participate in the exploration of the country’s natural resources without observing the safeguards provided in Section 2, Article XII of the 1987 Constitution," the statement from the SC Public Information Office read.

 

Full Story: https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2023/01/10/2236661/sc-rules-arroyo-era-joint-exploration-china-vietnam-unconstitutional

 

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