Opposition asks Senate to probe GMA Spratly deal with China

MANILA, Philippines – The United Opposition (UNO) asked the Senate yesterday to investigate allegations that President Arroyo signed an agreement allowing China to conduct exploration in Philippine territorial waters.

“The so-called Spratly Deal is a matter of serious concern not only for the Senate, but for all Filipinos,” said Makati Mayor Jejomar Binay, UNO president.

Binay said if Mrs. Arroyo indeed signed such an agreement, as alleged by detained Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV, it becomes clear that Mrs. Arroyo is willing to surrender the country’s sovereignty.

“Mrs. Arroyo is willing to surrender our sovereignty for the chance to get kickbacks and build a formidable war chest for whoever will be the anointed candidate in 2010,” he said.

“The administration candidate will be funded by money that had been exchanged for our sovereignty.”

Binay said a Senate investigation would put the ZTE-NBN scandal, as well as the Northrail and Southrail projects, in proper perspective.

“The Senate would no longer need to hold separate probes into the statement of Jun Lozada that the Northrail and Southrail deals were also tainted by corruption since these could be investigated as part of a probe into the so-called Spratly Deal,” he said.

Trillanes has asked the Senate to investigate the Spratly Deal which was exposed by newspaper publisher Amado Macasaet.

Quoting Macasaet, Trillanes said Mrs. Arroyo might have committed treason if she signed the deal which allows China to conduct exploration in Philippine territorial waters.

Officials of the Navy and the Department of Foreign Affairs who raised the question of sovereignty were ignored, Macasaet said.

Meanwhile, Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano, Senate Blue Ribbon committee chairman, said he was not in favor of creating a sub-committee to investigate the Southrail project, as proposed by Sen. Panfilo Lacson.

“We want to make sure that we handle the hearing one at a time at a proper time,” he said.

“If you ask all of the senators here, some would like to first investigate the Northrail, while others would like to take on Southrail.

“Let me just assure my colleagues, we will come to that (investigation of the Southrail). The quality of the Senate inquiries are important, and that it’s important that the Senate remains well-balanced in doing its job.”

Cayetano said the investigations into the Southrail project can be done from Thursdays to Saturdays.

“I am not the one who is going around the country during these days,” he said.

“Much less I am no presidentiable, and I am not running for the 2010 presidential elections.”

It is Cayetano’s prerogative to schedule the hearings on resolutions pending before his committee.

Among those resolutions yet to be tackled are the Southrail and Northrail projects, the cash giving at Malacañang last year as exposed by Pampanga Gov. Ed Panlilio, and the supposed anomaly at TransCo.

“We don’t get the result and the quality that we want,” Cayetano said.

“Since we have started the ZTE hearings, and now that we are in the middle of the meat of all these, why don’t we just wait for two to three more hearings, wrap up the investigation first.” – With Christina Mendez