Palace: Naming is not claiming

MANILA, Philippines — If the Chinese can give names to siomai and hototay, why be alarmed when they propose names to underwater features in the Philippine Rise?

This was a question directed by presidential spokesman Harry Roque at those alarmed by China’s naming of sea features in the Philippine Rise.

“You know, let’s not make a big deal out of the issue of China giving names to those underwater features. China has given names to a lot of things: siopao, siomai, ampao, pechay, hototay. But it does not mean that it is claiming those things,” Roque said in a chance interview last Thursday. 

“What is important is China recognizes that only the Philippines has sovereign rights in the Philippine Rise,” he added.

Earlier, maritime law expert Jay Batongbacal, director of the University of the Philippines Institute for Maritime Affairs and Law of the Sea, said China had proposed names to five features of the Philippine Rise, a 13-million-hectare submerged continental shelf over which the Philippines has sovereign rights. This means that the Philippines has the exclusive right to explore and exploit the natural and non-living resources found in the area as declared by the United Nations in 2012.

Batongbacal said the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) approved the Chinese names last year. The Chinese names given to the undersea features were Jinghao Seamount, Tianbao Seamount, Haidonquing Seamount, Cuiqiao Hill and Jujiu Seamount.

The Philippines has refused to recognize the names and is planning to come up with its own names for the features.

Philippine officials, however, expressed belief there was no bad faith when China proposed names for the features.

“We are trading away too much, too soon and we are increasing our weaknesses,” said Batongbacal in a news forum in Quezon City.

With the latest developments, Batongbacal said the country should strengthen its alliances with other nations such as the United States and members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

“Weakness can be compensated by alliances and friendships with friends and other states,” he said.

The problem, according to Batongbacal, is that the Duterte administration seems to be cutting the country’s alliances with other countries. “We are even alienating our friends and allies,” he said.

Roque said the Philippines is not a member of the IHO’s Sub-Committee on Undersea Feature Names, hence its not being informed about the approval of the Chinese names.

He said Philippine experts would soon be nominated to the body.

“We were not notified (about the naming) because (the Philippines is) not a member (of the sub-committee). The Philippines is not the only country opposed to this set-up. Other countries who are not members also oppose this,” Roque said.

He maintained the Philippines may take the lead in opposing the setup, which he said is not favorable to countries that do not have the capability to discover features similar to those in the Philippine Rise.

“The Philippines may unite with other countries that do not have the capability to discover such features in fighting for their rights. At present, only the strong countries can give names to such geological features,” he said.

“Some developing countries are also complaining about this. The naming of features is dependent on the capability to conduct explorations and because of this, only rich nations can give names. I think the Philippines may take the lead in calling for a fair system of proposing names for geological features.”

President Duterte earlier ordered a ban on all maritime exploration by foreigners in the Philippine Rise at the height of the controversy over reports of

Chinese vessels conducting scientific research in the resource-rich area. – Emmanuel Tupas