Belmonte to colleagues: Leave Spratlys issue to DFA, AFP

House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. on Tuesday advised his fellow lawmakers to leave the resolution of Spratlys dispute to the proper authorities, particularly the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP). Belmonte said the planned trip of five House members to the Kalayaan Islands on Wednesday will not contribute in trying to find a long term solution to the country’s diplomatic row with China over the controversial islands. "Ang sinasabi ko lang, it will serve the purpose na we will know what’s going on there, but for the long term solutions, most definitely iwan na lang sa DFA at sa AFP," he said at a press briefing Tuesday. On Monday, it was announced that Akbayan party-list Representatives Walden Bello and Arlene Bag-ao, DIWA party-list Rep. Emmeline Aglipay, Eastern Samar Rep. Ben Evardone and Ifugao Rep. Teodoro Baguilat Jr. will visit on Wednesday the Kalayaan Islands, which is being claimed by the Philippines. Bello said the trip is aimed at supporting the Philippine government’s rightful claims on the area, as well as a way of gathering data for future legislations to build up the country’s defense on the islands. But on that same day, military spokesman Commodore Jose Miguel Rodriguez said nothing had been finalized yet. Mere tourists? Belmonte clarified that the five lawmakers will be going to the area without his consent, and that they will not use funds from the House. "We’ll just assume na parang turista sila roon," he said in a separate interview. The Philippines has accused China of intruding into its territory, particularly near the Reed Bank off Palawan province, several times in the past months, basing the information on reports from the military. Earlier this month, the DFA announced that it would bring the Spratly Islands dispute before the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, while maintaining that its claims on the area are based on the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea signed by both the Philippines and China in 1992. DFA spokesperson Raul Hernandez, for his part, said the department respects the independence of the legislative branch as a co-equal branch of government, and expressed hopes that the lawmakers support the peaceful resolution of the Spratlys row. — RSJ, GMA News