Sa Ayungin shoal
‘SECRET AGREEMENT’ LABAG SA KONSTI — MANILA SOLON

LABAG sa Saligang Batas ang sinabing kasunduan ng China at ng Filipinas tungkol sa pamamahala ng Ayungin Shoal.

Sakaling totoo man, ito ay labag sa Saligang Batas, ayon sa mga mambabatas.

               “Kung meron pong ‘secret agreement’ or anong klaseng agreement iyan, assuming for the sake of argument na totoo po ito… ito po ay illegal at unconstitutional,” ani Manila Rep. Joel Chua sa isang pulong balitaan sa Kamara.

               Ani Chua, ang kasunduan ay nararapat na aprobado ng Senado.

“Kung meron po talagang kasunduan na ganito na hindi po dumaan sa Senado or hindi sinang-ayunan ng Senado, e kasi iyon po ang nakalagay sa ating konstitusyon kailangan it should be concurred by two-third votes of the Senate. So, kung sila-sila lang po ang nag-usap tingin ko po e meron pong constitutional issue dito. This is unconstitutional and void,” paliwanag ng kongresista ng Maynila.

Sa panig i Assistant Majority Leader at Ako Bicol Party-list Rep. Raul Angelo Bongalon, ang anomang kasunduan o ‘secret deal’ sa China ay walang bisa.

               “If this arrangement or secret deal with China is not embodied in a written agreement or treaty, it is void for being unconstitutional. Under the constitution, any international agreement or treaty must be embodied in a written agreement and must be ratified by the Senate. So, if this arrangement is not ratified by the Senate or concurred in, and therefore it is not valid,” anang mambabatas.

               Ani Bongalon, parang ang China lamang ang may alam sa ‘sinabing kasunduan.’

               Sangayon si Bongalon sa posisyon ni dating Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio na ang, ‘sinabing kasunduan’ ay “amounts to gross inexcusable negligence, and it is also tainted with evident bad faith.”

“So bakit gross inexcusable negligence? Dahil, it violated the Constitution na dapat ito po ay embodied in a treaty and ratified by the Senate. Bakit naman po ito merong evident bad faith? Sila lang po ang nakaalam, we are not properly informed. Kawawa naman po ‘yung mga mangingisda roon,” dagdag ni Bongalon.

               Giit ni Bongalon, maaaring isantabi ni Pangulong Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr., ang anomang “special arrangement” sakaling mayroon man nito dahil  “it is not binding to us, it is not binding in the present administration.”

Para kay Assistant Majority Leader at Lanao del Sur Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong, gumagawa ng propaganda ang Tsina upang guluhin ang kaisipan ng mga Pinoy patungkol sa  West Philippine Sea.

               “I think beyond the legal issues nakikita ko po rito this is one of the tactics of China, part two ng propaganda ng PR ng China. In fact, Secretary [Gibo] Teodoro came out this morning with the statement denouncing that there was no such new arrangement,” ayon kay Adiong.

“I think China is resorting to different kind of tactics, nandiyan ‘yung bullying, pati na rin ‘yung kasi they understand the importance of propaganda kasi it puts legitimacy to their illegal claim, sinasabi nila o nag-agree na kami at saka ang Filipinas, so why are you acting this way? Why are you changing our agreement?” aniya.

Ikinalungkot ni Adiong na may mga Filipino na kumakampi sa China at nagkakalat ng maling pananaw sa mga isyung bumabalot sa panghihimasok ng China sa teritorya ng ating bansa.

“I think it’s very clear ang position ng ating President, ang ating gobyerno, that we have to fight for our claim at hindi lang ito arbitrarily claimed by the Philippines, the basis for this is the ruling of the UNCLOS and internationally we have the moral high ground to claim these areas and the West Philippine Sea,” giit ni Adiong. (GERRY BALDO)