tap the “play arrow” (click “Listen in browser”) on the soundcloud pod to play the joint sea exploration theme:
CODE
China-Philippine Agreement on Joint Oil Exploration in the West Philippine Sea/ South China Sea
If an agreement creates rights and obligations that are legally binding on the parties, it is an international agreement, or a treaty, regardless of what its title states or regardless of what it is called. The substance therefore of the 29 MOUs (memoranda of understanding) between the Philippines and China should be scrutinized.
(get your best hawk-eyed lawyers to do a line-by-line contract-review). A treaty or international agreement requires the concurrence of 2/3 of the Senate under the 1987 Constitution: “Art. VII Sec. 21. No treaty or international agreement shall be valid and effective unless concurred in by at least two-thirds of all the Members of the Senate.” (1987 Constitution) And now, to the heart of the matter: Is the China-crafted agreement on joint oil and gas exploration in the West Philippine Sea (signed yesterday by the Philippines and China) an MOU or an international agreement?
Examine its terms line by line, don’t rely on what China calls it. (there’s no contract-review here, apologies, i don’t do unsolicited contract-reviews … Well, ok, not a contract-review – just based on the television graphics of some of its isolated terms, the so-called MOU seems to be preparatory to an international agreement on joint exploration for oil in “certain relevant sea areas” … even the area is vague.) It’s not too late; and it’s not too early, better to prevent than to be too late. A word of caution: Guys…
okey, isa-Filipino ko na ito at ilalagay sa malabong font para tayo-tayo lang nagkakaintindihan: Guys, sa isang gusto nilang tawagin na “joint exploration”, ang Tsina siyempre ang gagawa ng heavy lifting – ang Tsina, gagamitin nya ang sarili niyang modelling software (for digital analysis of the flow, consistency, and quality of the waters and liquids to detect oil) ; ang sarili niyang seismic surveying equipment, well logging equipment, drill stem test equipment, coring equipment, drilling rigs etc. Sa isang tinatawag nilang “joint exploration”, ipapagamit ba ng Tsina sa Pilipinas ang kanyang software (pag-aari ng Tsina na software), surveying equipment, drill stem test equipment, coring equipment? Hmmm… Hindi. Siyempre hindi. Gamitin mo ang sarili mong equipment. Meron ba tayo nuon? Do we have eynee (any)? …
Mag-aral ka na kasi ng Chinese, tapos magtago ka sa rig nila.
Xie xie.
♠ ♠ ♠
For students looking for the windows of their exercises and don’t want to scroll down, here are the links:
Protocol Additional to the Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949, and relating to the Protection of Victims of Non-International Armed Conflicts (Protocol II), 8 June 1977.
“Part IV. Civilian Population xxx
“Art 13. Protection of the civilian population
“1. The civilian population and individual civilians shall enjoy general protection against the dangers arising from military operations. To give effect to this protection, the following rules shall be observed in all circumstances.
“2. The civilian population as such, as well as individual civilians, shall not be the object of attack. Acts or threats of violence the primary purpose of which is to spread terror among the civilian population are prohibited.
“3. Civilians shall enjoy the protection afforded by this part, unless and for such time as they take a direct part in hostilities.
xxxx
“Art 14. Protection of objects indispensable to the survival of the civilian population. Starvation of civilians as a method of combat is prohibited. It is therefore prohibited to attack, destroy, remove or render useless for that purpose, objects indispensable to the survival of the civilian population such as food-stuffs, agricultural areas for the production of food-stuffs, crops, livestock, drinking water installations and supplies and irrigation works.
xxx
“Art 17. Prohibition of forced movement of civilians:
“1. The displacement of the civilian population shall not be ordered for reasons related to the conflict unless the security of the civilians involved or imperative military reasons so demand. Should such displacements have to be carried out, all possible measures shall be taken in order that the civilian population may be received under satisfactory conditions of shelter, hygiene, health, safety and nutrition.
“2. Civilians shall not be compelled to leave their own territory for reasons connected with the conflict.”
Video produced by iTV news and posted by it yesterday. Warning: the first six seconds is jarring because the cameraman was running towards the ambulance. (the music on autoplay can be stopped simply by clicking the soundcloud pod below the video)
Embedded music in this site: Lyrics by Jose Javier Reyes; melody by Ryan Cayabyab; performed by the San Miguel Master Chorale; musical arrangement by Ryan Cayabyab; all used here non-commercially for academic purposes.
(still a continuation of the Christmas playlist here.)
