Spratly Islands Philippine territory for Chinese oil exploration

Press Conference on Global Protest
July 6, Wednesday, 11AM-12NN
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Filipino Americans Set Protest Actions in China Consular Offices in US
June 27, 2011, New York, NY -
Filipino Americans are set to picket the consular offices of the People's Republic of China (PRC) in Washington DC, New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and San Francisco at 12 noon on July 8, 2011 to protest the PRC government’s scheduled oil rig drilling activities in the Spratly Islands territory of the Philippines this July. Under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Seas, a nation owns the oil, mineral and other resources within a two hundred mile radius from its base.

The protest actions were called by the US Pinoys for Good Governance (USP4GG), a national organization led by Loida Nicolas Lewis and Rodel Rodis, which includes leading Filipino-American business, political and community leaders focusing on issues impacting the Philippines and the Global Filipino community.

The public demonstrations on July 8 seek to expose China’s abrogation of its pledge to the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) to resolve sovereignty disputes peacefully through negotiations. In March 2010, China unilaterally declared the South China Sea a “core national interest” similar to its claims to Tibet and Taiwan and therefore "non-negotiable".

China also has 2.17 million soldiers under its command which is larger than the combined military personnel of all the ASEAN countries. With its superior military forces, China appears determined to begin its billion dollar oil rig construction activity this July approximately 125 miles from Palawan within the Philippines’ 200 nautical miles Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).

On May 27, 2011, the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) conveyed its concern to the PRC government over reports in its state media about Beijing’s planned installation of its most advanced oil rig in the West Philippine Sea this coming July.

According to the Xinhua Report, “CNOOC (China National Offshore Oil Corp) plans to invest 200 billion yuan ($30 billion) and drill 800 deepwater wells – which they expect to have an output of an equivalent 500 million barrels of oil by the year 2020.” The target production is equivalent to approximately $50 Billion USD per year.

Citing Philippine military reports, Manila said an undetermined number of structures were recently constructed by China in the vicinity of Philippine-claimed Iroquois Reef-Amy Douglas Bank near Palawan. The site, a DFA statement said, is located southwest of Recto or Reed Bank and east of Patag or Flat Island “within the Philippines’ 200 nautical miles Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).”

The Philippines has the only airstrip in the Spratly Islands, located on Pag-Asa Island which is part of the Kalayaan Islands in the Palawan province.

Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario, while visiting Washington DC last week, revealed at least nine Chinese intrusions in Philippine territory in the last few months after a Philippine oceanographic research ship was chased out of Philippine waters by Chinese warships.

“We call on Global Filipinos and Philippine organizations throughout the world to stand up to the China bully and protest its impending intrusion of the Philippines by demonstrating in front of consular offices of China throughout the world,” Nicolas Lewis added.

“There are more than 4 million Filipinos in the US who can mobilize to defend the sovereignty of the Philippines by exposing China’s aggressive acts in the Spratlys. What is also at stake is the Philippines ownership of potentially trillions of dollars in revenue from its oil & natural gas resources,” said Rodel Rodis.