Written by Noel Sales Barcelona   

Manila, Philippines - A seafarers’ organization in Manila forewarns the White House to keep its hands off the issue of disputed Spratly Islands, a group of islets 150 nautical miles off the coast of Palawan Island.

The International Seafarers’ Action Center or ISAC issued the statement amidst the speculations that the United States’ forces help will be sought, in case that the People’s Republic of China (PROC) will assert its sovereignty over the oil-rich islands. In the United States, Senator John McCain had called on the US Government to throw military and political support to the Philippines and other Southeast Asian nations, in connection with the Spratly issue.

The said support had had a very warm “embrace” from the Philippines’ Foreign Affairs department as it assessed the situation at the China Sea, “shaky.”

Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario said in a press conference in Canberra, Australia—a sidelight to the Philippine-Australian Ministerial Meeting last June 16, that the situation on the Spratly islands and the China Sea as a whole is very volatile as China will be patrolling in the area.

Lately, Viet Nam and China had a joint patrol activity in the Gulf of Tonkin, despite the escalating tension brought by China’s claim of the Spratlys islands. Ironically, Viet Nam is also a claimant of the disputed islands, as well as Taiwan, Brunei Darussalam and Malaysia.

Asians must resolve ‘Asian’ problems

Atty. Joseph T. Entero, a former member of the Philippine Navy’s Board of Advisers and currently the secretary general of ISAC, asserts that since the Spratlys' issue is a problem between Asian nations—China, Viet Nam, Taiwan, Malaysia, and Brunei Darussalam to be particular—it is up to these Asian nations to resolve the conflict, of course, minus the United States.

“As a nation and as Asians, it is us who are expected to solve our own problems. ISAC rejects involving the US and other military superpowers in the issue as it might be used by opportunistic elements to ignite a regional armed conflict, similar to what happened in Iraq and in the Middle East,” Atty. Joseph Entero, secretary-general of ISAC, said in a statement send to this reporter.

ASEAN should get involved

The lawyer, meanwhile, believes that the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) should step up on the issue and help to draft a long term solution on the Spratlys problem.

Entero firmly believes that multilateral talks, involving the nation-members of the ASEAN, is better than the unilateral talks proposed by the People’s Republic of China (PROC) over the issue of the Spratlys ownership.

“Since Brunei Darussalam, Viet Nam and Malaysia also have their [own] interest over the disputed islands—it is better for them to sit, talk and resolve the issue once and for all, not only for the peace and order in the region, but also for the safety of the mariners and seafarers sailing on the China Sea,” the lawyer explained.

He also urges the ASEAN to talk to China as one body and convince the PROC to respect Philippine sovereignty.

Moreover, ISAC urged the Chinese government to uphold the 2002 ASEAN-China Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea, as well as the UN Convention on the Laws of the Sea, which China has ratified in 1996.