RP to stick to Asean-China pact on Spratlys – Palace

MANILA, Philippines — Malacañang on Monday said it would adhere to the 2002 Declaration on the Conduct in the South China Sea and urged all parties to do the same in dealing with the dispute over the Spratly Islands. The statement of Press Secretary Cerge Remonde came after the Chinese government deployed a fishery patrol vessel to a disputed part of the Spratlys a few days after President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo signed the controversial Baselines Law that included the Kalayaan Group of Islands and the Scarborough Shoal as a "regime of islands under the Republic of the Philippines." "The Philippines adheres to the 2002 Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC) and urges all parties to adhere to this as well," said Remonde in a text message to reporters. The DOC was initiated by the Philippines in addressing the conflicting claims of several countries over the Spratlys. This approach led to the signing of the agreement between China and members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. On Wednesday, China protested the new baselines law that affirms sovereignty of the Philippines over parts of the Spratly Islands and Scarborough Shoal. It said it "has indisputable sovereignty" over the territories and the Philippine claim "is illegal and invalid." The largely uninhabited Spratly and Paracel islands and surrounding waters are believed to have large oil and natural gas reserves. They straddle busy sea lanes and are rich fishing grounds. - Aie Balagtas See, GMANews.TV