Senate Majority Leader Francis Tolentino urged the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Monday, July 22, to disclose the details of the "understanding" reached by the Philippines and China for the resupply missions to BRP Sierra Madre in Ayungin Shoal.
This was after the Philippines and China "have reached an understanding on the provisional arrangement” for the resupply missions.
“I take this opportunity to appeal to DFA Secretary Manalo to publicly disclose the contents of the provisional agreement signed between the Philippines and China. This deal should be transparent, and not shrouded in secrecy,” said Tolentino, who also chairs the Special Committee on Philippine Maritime and Admiralty Zones.
“It is important that we are able to deliver food and medicine for our soldiers. While this deal can help de-escalate tensions, the government must also assure our people that our sovereignty was not compromised," he added.
This arrangement came after “a series of consultations following the frank and constructive discussions between the two sides” during the 9th Bilateral Consultation Mechanism (BCM) on the South China Sea held last July 2.
The DFA stressed that the arrangement does not weaken the two countries’ positions regarding the territorial and maritime issues in the South China Sea.
To address concerns in the WPS, Tolentino has been pushing for the passage of the Maritime Zones Bill, recently approved by the bicameral conference committee.
He is the principal author and sponsor of the bill which seeks to declare the country's rights and entitlements over its maritime zones, in accordance with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), and the historic 2016 Hague arbitral ruling which favored the Philippines.
It aims to declare the rights and entitlements of the Philippines over its zone and fully enforce maritime laws. Further, it seeks to protect the nation’s marine wealth in its archipelagic waters, territorial sea, and exclusive economic zone, and reserve its use and enjoyment exclusively to Filipino citizens.
The Philippine Maritime Zones Law implements the 2016 Arbitral Ruling, invalidating China’s claim to almost all of the South China Sea and overwhelmingly favoring the Philippines’ claim to the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) in the WPS.