Tolentino urges OSG to form a specialized unit to focus on maritime issues, conflicts in the West Philippine Sea
August 28, 2024
Tolentino urges OSG to form a specialized unit to focus on maritime issues, conflicts in the West Philippine Sea
To strengthen the government's capability to handle international maritime disputes, especially with the increasing aggression of China in the West Philippine Sea (WPS), Senate Majority Leader Francis 'Tol' Tolentino renewed his push for the creation of a specialized unit of public prosecutors that will focus on admiralty and maritime cases.
The proposal was raised by Tolentino at the Senate hearing on the proposed 2025 budget of the Department of Justice (DOJ) on Wednesday (August 28).
Tolentino, who chairs the Senate Special Committee on Maritime and Admiralty Zones, asked Solicitor General Menardo Guevarra about the status of the specialized unit, which the senator had been advocating in the agency's annual budget deliberations since 2022.
"In the last two years, this representation has continuously been reminding the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG), in fact, short of begging your office to create a special unit that would really focus on maritime claims, ship collision and allision, maritime insurance, oil spills...and cases of harassment and bullying within our Exclusive Economic Zone. Has this been done?" Tolentino asked Guevarra.
He added: "From what I know, you've been resorting to hiring outside counsel. And so if it is our intention to hire an admiralty lawyer for every harassment case, then why not form a special admiralty unit within the OSG?"
In response, Guevarra said that an ad hoc team of OSG lawyers has been assisting different task forces of the government handling various international concerns. These issues, he noted, include the West Philippine Sea, International Criminal Court, state-to-state arbitration, and international arbitration and disputes, among others.
Guevarra added that the lawyers assigned to these task forces continuously undergo training on international law both here and abroad.
He agreed with Tolentino's concern on the hiring of outside lawyers. "We have noticed a large amount of public funds being spent on foreign counsel assisting us in international litigation and arbitration," admitted Guevarra.
"To address this, we have provided our lawyers with foreign scholarships, fellowship training, and participation in international conventions to strengthen their expertise in international maritime laws," added the Solicitor General.
Tolentino took note of the OSG's efforts to capacitate its lawyers, but emphasized the importance of institutionalizing a special unit.
"We note the continuous efforts, however, I hope that this is not just an ad hoc unit; it must be institutionalized with competent lawyers permanently manning the floor," the senator concluded.
Tolentino, iginiit na kailangang bumuo ang gobyerno ng special legal team na hahawak sa mga kaso ng bullying sa West Philippine Sea
Para palakasin ang kakayahan ng pamahalaan na tumugon sa international maritime disputes, partikular sa mga agresibong aksyon ng China sa West Philippine Sea, iginiit ni Senate Majority Leader Francis 'Tol' Tolentino na panahon nang bumuo ng isang 'specialized unit' ng mga abogado ng pamahalaan na hahawak sa mga kasong may kinalaman sa admiralty at maritime laws.
Ito ang binigyang-diin ni Tolentino sa pagdinig ng Senado sa panukalang 2025 budget ng Department of Justice (DOJ) noong Miyerkules (Agosto 28).
Tinanong ni Tolentino, pinuno ng Senate Special Committee on Maritime and Admiralty Zones, si Solicitor General Menardo Guevarra hinggil sa status ng specialized unit, na taun-taong binabanggit ng senador sa budget deliberations ng ahensya mula pa noong 2022.
"Dalawang taon ko na itong ipinapanawagan sa Office of the Solicitor General (OSG), at halos magmakaawa na nga ako para matugunan natin ang mga kasong nakaugnay sa maritime claims, ship collision at allision, maritime insurance, oil spills... at harassment at bullying sa loob ng ating Exclusive Economic Zone. Naisagawa na po ba ito?" tanong ni Tolentino kay Guevarra.
Dagdag pa ng senador na sa pagkakaalam nya ay nagbabayad pa ang OSG ng mga banyagang abogado para sa mga kasong ito: "Kung ang gagawin naman pala natin ay kukuha tayo ng admiralty lawyer sa bawat kaso ng harassment, hindi ba't mas mabuti kung bubuo na lang tayo ng isang special admiralty unit sa loob ng OSG?"
Umayon si Guevarra sa obserbasyon ng senador ukol sa pagkuha ng mga banyagang abogado. "Batid namin na malaki ang nagagastos na pondo sa mga banyagang abogado para tumulong sa international litigation at arbitration."
Para tugunan ito, pinaliwanag ni Guevarra na sumasailalim sa pagsasanay ang mga abogado ng OSG na tumutulong sa iba't ibang task forces ng gobyerno sa mga isyung may kinalaman sa international law, gaya ng West Philippine Sea at International Criminal Court.
Kinilala ni Tolentino ang mga hakbang ng OSG ngunit binigyang-diin pa rin nito ang kahalagahan ng isang permanenteng grupo na binubuo ng mahuhusay na abogado.
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