Filipinos deserve a leader who will defend the country’s sovereignty —Carpio


Retired Supreme Court Justice Antonio Carpio slammed President Rodrigo Duterte on Thursday after the chief executive appeared to blame him and former Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario for China's occupation of some West Philippine Sea features.


On Wednesday night, Duterte used his weekly address to the nation to question Carpio and del Rosario about why the country "lost territory" in the West Philippine Sea during their tenure, particularly after the 2012 standoff between Philippine and Chinese vessels in the Scarborough Shoal.


Carpio stated in a statement that he was not a member of the Executive Department, which determines foreign policy, in 2012.


Carpio, a Supreme Court magistrate at the time, had recommended that China be taken to arbitration over its massive claims in the South China Sea, including areas Manila refers to as the West Philippine Sea.


“In January 2013, the Aquino administration agreed and filed the South China Sea arbitration case,” he said.


The Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague declared China's claim to nearly the entire South China Sea illegal in July 2016, but Duterte simply set aside the ruling in exchange for loans and investments, according to Carpio.


Carpio also claimed that Duterte had granted the Chinese the right to fish in the country's exclusive economic zone and that Filipinos are now importing galunggong from China, "the same galunggong that Chinese fishermen take in the West Philippine Sea."


The retired justice also claimed that China had “seized” Sandy Cay, despite the fact that Duterte allegedly remained silent on the subject and even expressed admiration for Chinese President Xi Jinping.


“Filipinos deserve, and should demand, a president who prioritizes Filipinos and will unwaveringly defend Philippine sovereignty and sovereign rights in the West Philippine Sea,” Carpio said.


Carpio is the chairperson of the 1Sambayan coalition, which is made up of “pro-democracy” organizations and individuals aiming to field a single opposition slate of national candidates—president, vice president, and 12 senators—to compete against Duterte's bets in the May 2022 elections. — GMA News, BM


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