Senator Trillanes: RP baselines law a sellout

MANILA, Philippines - The baselines law signed by President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo that classified the Kalayaan Islands and Scarborough Shoal as a "regime of islands" is a "sellout," detained Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV has said. Radio dzBB's Nimfa Ravelo reported Thursday that Trillanes said the the Philippines has no more choice but to accept it due to lack of time. "The tragic part is, we have no choice but to accept it because of the approaching deadline. Otherwise, we would be forever disqualified from claiming our extended continental shelf (ECS)," he said in an article on his Web site. The baselines bill defines the scope of the national territory in compliance with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). Earlier, the UN set May 13, 2009 as the deadline for the submission of the technical details on the Philippines' claims for the ECS. Trillanes said his original draft, which included Scarborough Shoal in the archipelagic baselines, was filed as early as August 2007. "And yet the Foreign Relations Committee sat on it for 18 months," he lamented. He questioned the classification of Scarborough Shoal as a "regime of islands" since the UNCLOS said a rock like Scarborough Shoal is not entitled to an exclusive economic zone (EEZ) and ECS. On the other hand, Trillanes clarified that the same designation on the Kalayaan Islands does not weaken the Philippines' claim or sovereignty. Islands referred to as "regime of islands" are treated the exact same way as other land territory and thus entitled to an EEZ and ECS, he said. "The exclusion of Scarborough from the baselines is grossly disadvantageous to our country. We would be depriving ourselves of a sea territory with its continental shelf that is equivalent to roughly 14,500 square kilometers," Trillanes said. He also noted that the Scarborough Shoal is the traditional fishing ground for past and present Filipino fisher folk. China is another claimant to the resource-rich territory. Trillanes said the exclusion of Scarborough Shoal can be attributed to "pressure" from China, which has several investment and development deals with the Arroyo administration. Last year, Trillanes filed a resolution initiating appropriate legislative action against Ermita for presiding over a Senate technical working group meeting tackling the bills on the Philippines' archipelagic baselines, and eventually pushing for Malacanang's position. He said Ermita violated the constitutionally enshrined principle of separation of powers of the three branches of government. He added that the new lass will definitely be amended once President Gloria Arroyo is out of power. - GMANews.TV