Senators say they can’t act on China fishing deal

THE Senate can’t review a verbal fishing agreement with China in the absence of documents proving it, Senate President Vicente C. Sotto III said yesterday.

The lawmaker rejected Supreme Court Justice Antonio T. Carpio’s call for the Senate to act on President Rodrigo R. Duterte’s verbal deal with Chinese President Xi Jinping, allowing China to fish within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone.

The magistrate has said the fishing deal should be considered an international agreement that needs Senate approval.

“How can we act on something we don’t have?” Mr. Sotto said in a mobile phone message.

Senator Francis N. Tolentino who is vice chairman of the foreign relations committee said the fishing deal should be treated as an executive agreement rather than a treaty. — Charmaine A. Tadalan