The Philippines should proceed to explore and develop the oil and gas in the West Philippine Sea, similar to the action of its neighbors who were able to assert their sovereign rights over their waters and completed drilling even without the benefit of an Arbitral Award and defense treaty, former foreign affairs secretary Albert del Rosario said yesterday. Del Rosario made the statement after Minister Liu Jianchao of the International Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and former ambassador to Manila, declared during his visit on Aug. 28 that China and the Philippines are ready to continue negotiations on oil and gas development in the West Philippine Sea, which includes Reed Bank.

Lee-Brago, P. (2022, September 5). 'Phl should proceed with WPS exploration without China'. The Philippine Star, p. 4.