Aquino claims success in sea row at Asean

MANILA, Philippines - International laws must be respected and a Code of Conduct for the South China Sea treaty should be crafted to resolve maritime disputes between claimant nations, President Benigno Aquino III reiterated upon his arrival in Manila on Tuesday night from the ASEAN summit in Phnom Penh.

Aquino maintained that the United Nations Convention of the Law of the Seas should rule over regional tensions such as the West Philippine Sea between the Philippines and China.

Although his mission at the Asean gathering sparked tensions anew, the president said he was successful in convincing other nations to welcome a Code of Conduct to rule over inter-coastal disputes.

"Malaking tagumpay pong maituturing ito, lalo pa’t nasa kabilang panig ng di-pagkakaunawaan ang pinakamalaking puwersang ekonomiko at militar sa rehiyon," Aquino added.

"Nilagdaan ng ASEAN at ng China ang tinatawag na Declaration of Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea o DOC noong 2002 na nagbalangkas ng mga prinsipyo upang maiwasang magkatensyong muli. Nakasaad po sa DOC ang paggalang sa pandaigdigang batas," Aquino said.

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, however, was adamant on China's position to claiming the entire coastal area during the 18-nation meeting to keep the matter within the region and outside international scope.

The president, who said the attempt was akin to the tale of David against Goliath, added the Philippine government will continue rallying the support of others at the international stage and insist on the sovereignty of international laws.

"Umasa po kayo: hangga’t ako ang may mandatong isatinig ang kolektibong adhikain ng aking mga boss at hangga’t nasa likod ko kayo—patuloy nating ididiin ang ating mga prinsipyo, sa harap man ng ASEAN, o sa entablado ng buong mundo," Aquino said.

The Philippines has been seeking the intervention of the United States and appealing to global conventions to resolve the territorial row issue, while other Asean member countries Vietnam, Brunei, Malaysia and Taiwan, also maintained their claims to areas of the sea.

No consensus

The Philippines gained the support of several nations in objecting to host country Cambodia's statement claiming that member states have reached a "consensus" refusing to allow international intervention on the South China Sea issue, Energy Secretary Jose Rene Almendras, who was part of the Philippine delegation at the summit, said in a briefing on Wednesday.

"We do not agree to that statement and we reserve the right to protect Philippine sovereignty in any form in any fora anywhere in the world," Almendras said.

The cabinet secretary, however, could not disclose which nations agreed with the Philippines as their statements were made in a confidential retreat.

Contrary to media reports that Aquino "interrupted" Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen during his speech, the Philippine head of state waited for his Cambodian counterpart to finish before raising his hand, Almendras added.

"We saw the president's statesmanship in full glory despite the challenges and pressures were all over the place," Almendras said.