Joint exploration and development with China in the hotly contested South China Sea will ensure that the Philippines will not be in danger of losing oil and gas, Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano said on Wednesday. In an interview over radio dzMM, Cayetano pushed for joint exploration and development as the Philippines does not have the technology and financial capability to do it alone. “The critics, including acting Chief Justice Antonio Carpio whom I respect, have been repeating time and again that we are in danger of losing oil and gas. That’s why we want joint exploration and development so that we won’t lose it because somehow, in technology and in financial capability, China, Malaysia and Vietnam have advantage over us,” Cayetano said in mixed English and Filipino.

Lee-Brago, P., & Regalado, E. (2018, July 27). Cayetano pushes Phl-China joint oil exploration in SCS. The Philippine Star, p. 16.