HOUSE LEADER ASSERTS ALLEGED DUTERTE-XI DEAL AS NON-BINDING

MANILA — In a statement released on Sunday, Deputy Majority Leader Neptali Gonzales II declared the purported gentlemen’s agreement between former Philippine President Rodrigo R. Duterte and Chinese President Xi Jinping concerning the contentious West Philippine Sea (WPS) as “constitutionally void.”

Gonzales emphasized that any such agreement would effectively relinquish the Philippines’ sovereign rights over its exclusive economic zone (EEZ), constituting a new national policy that necessitates treaty status for validation by the Senate before enforcement.

“The alleged agreement would need to be ratified as a treaty, following proper legal protocols,” elucidated Gonzales, who chairs the House Special Committee on WPS.

Highlighting the significance of the Ayungin Shoal within the country’s EEZ, Gonzales reaffirmed its status, as affirmed by the 2016 arbitral ruling on the South China Sea dispute.

To be considered legally binding, Gonzales outlined specific criteria that must be met, notably stipulating the necessity of the agreement being formulated as an Executive Agreement.

(By el amigo/MNM)