“I respect the Supreme Court’s (SC) decision.”
This was House Senior Deputy Speaker and former president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's terse statement Wednesday, Jan. 11 regarding the SC's decision declaring as unconstitutional the 2005 Tripartite Agreement for Joint Marine Seismic Undertaking (JMSU).
Arroyo served as Philippine president from 2001 to 2010, meaning the JMSU was created and implemented during her time in Malacañang.
The JMSU covered 142,886 square kilometers in the South China Sea.
Involved in the agreement were the China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC), Vietnam Oil and Gas Corporation (PETROVIETNAM), and Philippine National Oil Company (PNOC).
Arroyo, also a former House Speaker, is currently the congresswoman of Pampanga's second district.