Press Release
February 26, 2018

Transcript of Sen. Bam's media interview after Philippine Rise hearing

Q: *inaudible*

Senator Bam: Well, lumalabas na noong panahon na nagresearch yung China, na nagdulot dito sa pag-name nila sa mga features nga. Ito yung panahon na hindi natin sila binigyan ng permit. We did not give our consent to China to do the research that eventually led to the naming of these features. Iyon po yung naging pahayag ng NAMRIA. Yun po yung naging pahayag ng ibang mga ahensya po kanina. So that starts a case. Pwede po iyon yung gawin natin basehan ng isang kaso kung saan pinapabalewala po natin yung pagname noong mga lugar pong iyon dun po sa Philippine Rise. In the past so many years, hindi po sumusunod yung China. Wala pong permiso na pumupunta po, pumapasok sa ating teritoryo at gumagawa po ng marine research. In fact, they have this on their website. They have published this already and in fact, ginamit po nila para mag-name ng mga lugar po doon. So yun pa lang mismo, palagay ko, issue nay an kagad eh. Now, I think the DFA basically wanted to move forward already. May mga bagong patakaran for January of 2018. But even the conditions of that new research, hindi din nasundan. So ang hiling po natin sa kanila, kailangan istrikto tayo sa lahat ng mga kapartner natin. Napakaistrikto natin sa taumbayan pero pagdating sa mga malalaking bansa, hindi natin naiimplement yung mga patakaran. Palagay ko po, pagdating sa ating kasarinlan, pagdating po sa ating teritoryo, magkaroon naman tayo ng mas matibay na patakaran at saka mas matitibay na rules na kailangan pong sundan ng ating mga partner.

Q: *inaudible*

Senator Bam: Nabanggit po na nagkaroon po ng isang bilateral meeting kung saan ang mga issue na ito ay lumabas. But I think si ASEC Lourdes, she did not want to disclose everything in the bilateral meeting. In fact, nabanggit pa niya na baka kailangan ng executive session. So we will determine if we will need a second hearing for that executive session. Ayaw naman din natin na maglahad ng mga bagay-bagay na makakaapekto sa ating national security. But at the minimum, kung mayroon tayong mga patakaran, nararapat lang, yung mga karatig-bansa natin sumusunod. Wag naman yung lagging tayo yung nagbe-bend backwards para sa kanila. Kung may patakaran tayo, susundan dapat iyon kahit sino pa man yan. Not just China but all the other countries need to follow our own rules. Hindi naman pwede na hindi ka sumusunod tapos wala na lang. Di ba? I think we owe it to ourselves to have that pride and say if we have our own rules, we should follow these rules and our partners if they really are our partners should also follow these rules.

Iyong UPMS na yung nagsabi na hindi pa sila handa. Ang tanong ko doon, bakit hindi nila pinostpone yung research. Bakit parang tayo yung nasa schedule ng ibang bansa? After all, this territory with our sovereign rights, it's up to us, nasa permiso po ng Pilipinas kung magkakaroon ng research diyan o hindi. Kung hindi pa handa yung ating Philippine Agency, then they should've postponed it until they could've fulfilled all of the requirements and the conditions. Yung isang kondisyon kasi, kailangan laging may nakasakay na Pilipino na sayantipiko doon sa barko. Hindi ho nila na-fulfill iyong requirement na yon tatlong araw lang.

Q: Sir, this failure to fulfill that requirement enough ba syang basis para hindi na payagan yung future MSRs?

Senator Bam: That's what the representative from DFA said. They will consider that yung paglabag po dun sa permit bilang susunod na rason para possibly to determine the next marine research na gagawin.

Q: Sir, yung strategy ng Malacanang na *inaudible* yung MSR, what can you say about that?

Senator Bam: Well, alam mo, that's fine. That's fine with me at least he will take responsibility for all of these approvals pero palagay ko kailangan maging malinaw tayo. Kung mayroon tayong mga permitting na ginagawa, kailangan nasusundan. In the case of the January 2018 marine research, hindi po nasundan yung mga kondisyon. Kailangan kung meron mang lumabag sa ating mga patakaran, malinaw rin kung ano yung ibig sabihin non. Do we suspend them for x number of years? Mayroong bang pag-apologize na mayroon pong paglabag na nangyari in the past? Or maybe black list. That is possible also. At again, madami tayong choices. Unang una, yung ating Filipino scientists magagaling. May kakayahan po sila pagdating sa shallow waters. They can actually undertake research. Nabanggit po kanina na we are some of the best in the world. Pangalawa, doon po sa malalalim na lugar, marami po tayong auctions na pwede tayo makipagpartner. And you know, partnering with other countries at this point, kailangan natin yan but habang ginagawa po natin yan, we need to work towards the situation na may kakayahan rin tayo. And that will mean government investing more on our scientific community. Huwag po natin silang iiwan lang sa ere for the benefit of the Filipino people to realy see kung ano yung maibibigay satin ng Philippine Rise. Kailangan po maginvest din tayo sa ating scientific community dito.

Q: *inaudible*

Senator Bam: Yes, because una pagdating sa usapin ng teritoryo, pagdating sa usapin ng ating bansa, kailangan istrikto tayo diyan. Hindi pwede na paiba iba yung ating pagtrato sa iba ibang mga bansa. We need to be clear and in fairness naman to government; they did say na magkakaroon na sila ng bagong patakaran. As they now shift the burden to the Office of the President to decide whether papayagan yung mga marine research o hindi. I am hoping na yung lalabas doon sa patakaran nila mas strikto naman ngayon. Now, kung mayroon pong ginawang paglabag doon, eh siguro masuspend ka o mablack list ka na gawin itong mga research na ito sa ating lugar.

Q: Sir, paano yung doon sa renaming? Sabi ni ASEC, sabi niya final na yung naging decision ng *inaudible*?

Senator Bam: Well, kapag tiningnan mo yung mga patakaran sa website, final na yon. Pero ang nabanggit naman po ng NAMRIA, Captain Catapang, parang meron tayong rason kung bakit natin pwedeng ipabalewala yung pagname na iyon kasi yung research nga po na ginawa na nagdulot nitong pagpangalan ay ginawa na walang consent at walang permiso ng ating bayan. I think that is something that is clearly a violation somewhere na baka yung naging resulta ng pagname ng mga area na itoay pwede pong ipabalewala ng international group na iyon. At the minimum, I think we should make the case for it. We should fight for it. Yun siguro yung pinakaminimum doon. Yung ipaglaban natin ito.

Q: Sir, in case of any violations, where do we seek redress?

Sen. Bam: Well, as they said, pwede ka mag note verbale, pwede mo i-raise to a higher body. There was a bilateral meeting na nangyari na po ito, at gusto rin natin malaman kung ano yung naging output nung bilateral meeting na iyon. So, maybe in the next hearing, we can ask them to tell us, ano yung mga agreements. Baka naman may mga agreements na rin na lumabas doon sa bilateral meeting, but, again, nangyari na ito sa West. Hindi ito nangyayari na parang first time, nangyari na po ito sa West Philippine Sea. Meron na pong mga basset doon. There are already illegal structures there in the West Philippine Sea. Papayagan po ba natin na mangyari rin ito sa East? Baka kasi sinasabi ng iba, eh napaka-praning naman natin na research lang iyan. But you have to look at it in the context na meron na tayong military bases na malapit sa atin, already threatening our sovereignty. Kailangan tignan natin yung issue na to na kasabay rin ng issue na iyon.

Q: Given yung mga kakulangan na cinite nung mga scientists, ano yung puwedeng gawin ng *inaudible*?

Sen. Bam: Well, I think, at the end of the day, babagsak siya sa budget. And maganda rin kasi si Secretary Esperon was quite supportive in really putting in the resources, hindi lang po sa DOST or sa UP, pero pati rin po sa ating Armed Forces. How can we monitor the area better? How can we do research better? How can we possibly acquire the resources in the area better, na hindi na tayo masyadong dependent sa iba? Palagay ko, babagsak rin iyan sa capacity building ng ating mga ahensiya. And many of us here, I think, are of the mindset already na panahon na talaga na madevelop yung lugar na iyan. Our economy is doing better, meron tayong dagdag sa ating budget every year, a significant amount should be put into seeing how we can protect and develop the Philippine Rise area.

Q: *inaudible* Maritime research, *inaudible*

Sen. Bam: I'd have to check the records, but sa aking alaala, parang nabanggit na currently, wala sa Philippine Rise.

Q: Sir, you think we can afford to seek redress considering na yung political stand *inaudible*?

Sen. Bam: You know, you can pivot, you can lean, you can have better relations. I don't think there's anything wrong with better relations. Pero pagdating naman sa mga teritoryo, doon sa mga lugar na dapat atin, kailangan matigas tayo doon. We cannot naman bend, hindi naman puwede na mag bend backwards, tayo na lang lagi yung nagbebend backwards para sa China. Kailangan kahit papaano, ipaglaban naman natin itong mga lugar na ito.

Q: Pero sir in case na they refuse to reconsider yung renaming, what can be the next move?

Sen. Bam: Well, sa pagkakaalam ko, it's really up to the Executive to undertake that, pero palagay ko, I'm hoping, mukha namang yung mga ibang Executive agencies were very supportive in moving to rename or have that named area, na maibale-wala yung pagnename ng areas. Hintayin po natin yung kanilang response, but I'm hoping as a country, we can really do this together. Set aside yung pulitika. Itong lugar na ito, sabi ko nga, parang for some Filipinos, parang ok lang iyan kasi napakalayo. Pero what if yung i-name na lugar dito sa Pasay, or doon po sa Makati, Quezon City, Davao, Cebu? These areas are areas with our sovereign rights. Palagay ko, tama lang naman na ipangalan ito doon sa Pilipinas, and we already had plans to name these areas. In fact, ang tanong ko nga kanina sa mga scientists, did they already publish journals that proved that we have discovered this already, kasi baka naman, meron na tayong pruweba, nadiscover na rin ito ahead, hindi lang nakapag-file ng tamang paperwork. But you know, a lot of our scientists earlier said that we had already seen these areas, and in fact, mas marami pang lugar sa Philippine Rise, alam na rin natin. And we hope that NAMRIA will push the naming of these areas.

Q: Sir, can we afford another *inaudible* with China after the West Philippine Sea, and there's this...

Sen. Bam: Akala ko ba friends na tayo? Diba pag friends na kayo, puwede nang pagusapan yung mga bagay-bagay, diba? So, you know, it's a sign of goodwill. After all, these naming rights, it has no bearing on sovereignity. On their part, it's really a matter of Philippine honor and Philippine pride. Siguro naman, puwede na nila 'yan ibigay sa atin, diba. After all, we're supposed to have improved relations with them.

Q: Eh sir, kung defiant pa rin yung China?

Sen. Bam: Well that's why we want to raise it to the body that names. Kasi ang tingin ko, at ang tingin ng ibang mga ahensiya, merong deficiency doon sa pag-pangalan. Kasi yung ginawang pananaliksik upang mapangalanan itong mga lugar na ito was done without our consent. Hindi tayo pumayag na pumasok sila dito at mahanap yung mga libro na iyon para pangalanan. So that, in itself, is a deficiency doon sa kanilang bid to name *inaudible*. And I don't think the international body- tingin ko hindi nila alam na ginawa iyon na walang consent ng ating bansa.

Q: What do you make of DFA's response?

Sen. Bam: Well, I can understand na we're trying to improve relationships with China, but there are some matters na kailangan lang talaga nating ipaglaban, especially pagdating dito. Ipaglaban naman natin ito. And palagay ko, isa itong bagay na puwede magkaisa tayong lahat para ipaglaban ang mga lugar dito sa ating bansa.

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