President Benigno Aquino III and President Hu Jintao. 蜜桃工作室 CONTRIBUTED PHOTO/AP
Senator Panfilo Lacson, chairman of the chamber鈥檚 defense committee, is glad that Mr. Aquino is meeting Hu Jintao for one-on-one talks. Bilateral talks are better, he said Thursday, because the participation of outsiders could muddle up the discussions.
Senator Loren Legarda, chairperson of the foreign relations committee, is also pleased to learn about the planned meeting between the President and Hu. She said yesterday that she saw the meeting as 鈥渁 way of rebuilding mutual respect and confidence鈥� between the Philippines and China.
Not with Honasan
But Senator Gregorio Honasan warned that the Philippines could be 鈥減laying into Chinese hands鈥� by engaging Beijing in bilateral talks.
鈥淚f we are going to engage [China] bilaterally, we鈥檇 be no match,鈥� Honasan said. 鈥淲e have absolutely no leverage,鈥� he added, referring to China鈥檚 military and economic superiority.
Honasan said the presence of other Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) heads of state during Mr. Aquino鈥檚 meeting with Hu would be better when the two leaders discuss the West Philippine Sea dispute.
But Lacson, who had been suggesting bilateral talks between the Philippines and China for some time since relations between the two countries went sour in April over Panatag, does not agree.
鈥淸If] we engage in multilateral [talks] and involve other countries, there would be more interests involved and things could go awry,鈥� Lacson said.
鈥淟imiting the discussion to a bilateral arrangement means only the interests of China and the Philippines would be the focus,鈥� he said. 鈥淭here are more chances of success in reaping economic benefits if this is the case.鈥�
Joint explorations
Lacson suggested that the two countries set aside the issues of sovereignty and territorial integrity and concentrate instead on possible joint exploration of the disputed areas.
鈥淲e don鈥檛 have capital. In the long run, the Philippines would still look to a country like China to partner with when it comes to exploration efforts,鈥� Lacson said.
鈥淎nyway, China has always indicated it prefers bilateral talks. Besides, we have enough minds on President Aquino鈥檚聽 economic team to determine if we are being shortchanged,鈥� he said.
China, Lacson added, is aware of potential deposits of energy beneath the islands in the West Philippine Sea.聽 Cathy Yamsuan and Norman Bordadora