Palace: No report of oil search in West PH Sea

By Prince Golez

Malacañang expressed confidence that there’s no oil exploration in the country’s exclusive economic zone despite a discovery of an ocean bottom seismometer with Chinese characters in Scarborough Shoal.

The government has yet to receive a report of oil exploration ships being deployed in the West Philippine Sea, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said in his virtual presser Thursday.

“As far as we know, binabantayan natin yung mga barkong naglalayag diyan sa Scarborough Shoal at wala namang nari-report sa atin na isang barko na ginagamit for exploration purposes,” according to him.

“Kinakailangan po kasi ng barko talaga na nagbabato ng sound signal sa ilalim ng karagatan para mag explore kung merong langis sa ilalim po ng karagatan. Wala naman pong ganung report na nakukuha,” said Roque.

“For now, we’re confident na wala naman pong exploration na nagaganap diyan sa Scarborough at kung meron man po, and if we can verify it, then, we will file or do the corresponding action,” he added.

Fishermen in Pangasinan earlier found a device, which bore Chinese characters, supposedly being used in exploring for oil.

This impelled Bayan Muna Rep. Carlos Isagani Zarate to call on Congress to investigate the “possible illegal oil exploration of China” in Philippine waters.

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Source: Latest Politics News Today (Politics.com.ph)