MANILA – Ang Pilipinas ang nagpasimuno sa pagwawakas ng oil exploration talks sa China, inihayag ni Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr.

Sa kanyang talumpati noong Foundation Day ng Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), sinabi ni Locsin na sinubukan ng magkabilang panig na makipagnegosasyon sa loob ng tatlong taon at umabot sa posibleng konstitusyon.

Gayunpaman, ang isa pang hakbang pasulong ay nanganganib sa isang “krisis sa konstitusyon”.

“That explains the sudden pull-back on my part which unraveled three years of sincere hard work on the part of Wang Yi and me. We had both tried to go as far as we could — without renouncing China’s aspiration on his part; and constitutional limitations on my part. I shut down shop completely,” wika niya.

“The president had spoken. I carried out his instructions to the letter: oil and gas discussions are terminated completely. Nothing is pending; everything is over,” dagdag niya.

Binanggit niya na sa buong tatlong taong pag-uusap, ang Pilipinas ay hindi sumuko kahit isang butil ng soberanya nito.

Sinabi ng nangungunang diplomat na nasa balikat ng susunod na administrasyon na protektahan ang soberanya ng Pilipinas.

“The irreducible template of what is constitutionally possible is there in black and white. Surrender of any portion of Philippine sovereignty is not an option,” aniya.