The Philippines is hoping to hammer out a legal and publicly acceptable joint exploration agreement with China in the West Philippine Sea “in a couple of months” for the sake of the country’s energy security, Philippine Ambassador to Beijing Jose Santiago Sta. Romana said on Monday. Sta. Romana attributed to Foreign Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano the time frame for a Philippine-China exploration agreement. “I think the best estimate I’ve gotten is from Secretary Cayetano, that we’re trying to see if we can achieve an agreement hopefully within the next couple of months,” Sta. Romana told reporters in Hainan.

Salaverria, L. B. (2018, April 10). PH seeks publicly acceptable exploration deal with China. Philippine Daily Inquirer, p. A6.