President Rodrigo Duterte said on Monday his administration is open to conduct a joint oil exploration with China in the disputed South China Sea .

In a speech during awarding ceremonies of 2016 outstanding government workers, Duterte said: "If you ( China ) want, let's just develop the oil there. Let's share with it," he added.

Duterte recalled during his state visit to China in October, he told Chinese President Xi Jinping he would take up the award of the arbitral tribunal to the Philippines regarding its petition against China 's nine-dash line in the disputed waters.

"I will bring this up someday...it will be during my time that I have this arbitral award so I have to push it," Duterte said.

He said he could not afford to send Filipino soldiers in the South China Sea and fight with the Chinese.

"If I'll send the Marines there, they will be wiped out in just one minute. There will be a disaster...what will I do with the Scarborough Shoal? Swim there everyday, for what?," he stressed.

Scarborough Shoal, locally named as Panatag Shoal or Bajo de Masinloc, is within the 200 nautical miles exclusive economic zone of the Philippines . But China has been claiming this as part of its nine-dash line, which the tribunal declared invalid. The arbitral tribunal said Scarborough Shoal is a traditional fishing ground of Filipinos and Chinese. Celerina Monte/DMS