SPEAKER Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo said a 1979 agreement between Malaysia and Thailand was a model for joint offshore energy exploration, holding it up as a possible way forward in the development of resources in the disputed South China Sea.
“One good practice of such cooperation is the 1979 Malaysia-Thailand agreement to jointly explore oil and gas in a disputed offshore zone in the Gulf of Thailand,” Ms. Arroyo said in a speech at the 139th International Parliamentary Union (IPU) General Assembly in Geneva.
She said the agreement had “inspired” the joint exploration agreement of the Philippines with China and Vietnam, signed during her time as President.
“That model inspired the 2004 Joint Seismic Marine Undertaking of the Philippine National Oil Co., the China National Offshore Oil Corp., and the Vietnam Oil and Gas Corp. in disputed areas in the South China Sea,” Ms. Arroyo said.
She made the remarks amid a pending review of the draft framework for the Philippine-China joint exploration.
“Last August Philippine President Rodrigo (R.) Duterte approved the Secretary of Foreign Affairs’ proposal for an experts group from the government, academe and the private sector to look into the legal and other aspects of a proposed joint exploration between the Philippines and China in the South China Sea,” she added.
She said that international cooperation models help countries meet their 2030 Sustainable Development Goals. The United Nations (UN) has identified 17 goals to address poverty and hunger, among others.
“International cooperation models, whether scholarship in advanced engineering R&D or joint research or exploration undertakings, are conducive to supporting the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals or SDGs,” she said.
Ms. Arroyo’s speech was her response to the gathering’s call for parliamentary leadership in promoting development.
She said parliaments need to provide adequate funding and legislation to promote science, technology and innovation.
She also cited a UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) benchmark of 340 people focused on research and development per million population to sustain modernization.
“To achieve that benchmark, parliaments and parliamentarians can provide the budget to encourage more youth to pursue scientific and engineering studies,” Ms. Arroyo said. — Charmaine A. Tadalan
