Carpio calls on Pinoys to elect in 2022 President who will defend sovereign rights in West PHL Sea

Published June 11, 2020 09:11 AM By LLANESCA T. PANTI, GMA News

Filipinos, by 2022, should elect a President that will defend the Philippines’ sovereign rights in the West Philippine Sea rather than joke about it, retired Supreme Court Associate Justice Antonio Carpio said Thursday.

Carpio made the call as China has been relentless in its island building activities in West Philippine Sea even amid the COVID-19 pandemic and the presence of Chinese fleet near Pag-asa Island in Palawan province.

“What we can now do as citizens is to educate ourselves, prepare for 2022. When we elect a new President, we must make sure that the new President will defend faithfully, sincerely our sovereign rights in West Philippine Sea,” Carpio said in an interview with ANC.

“We cannot take the chance on a candidate promising to jetski to Scarborough Shoal, and after he gets elected, he will say, I was just joking,” he added.

Carpio was referring to the campaign promise made by then presidential candidate and Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, who eventually said he was just joking with such pronouncement when he was elected.

In July 2016, the UN Permanent Court of Arbitration in the Hague ruled in favor of the Philippines by rejecting China’s expansive nine-dash line claim of the entire South China Sea.

The same ruling also declared the Spratly Islands, as well as the Panganiban (Mischief) Reef, Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal, and Recto (Reed) Bank are all within the Philippines' EEZ and outlawed China’s action of preventing  Filipino fishermen to access Panatag Shoal which the UN Court deemed as a traditional fishing ground for both countries.

“We are talking about the defense of our territory and maritime zones. This involves national interest. This is not a matter of making jokes,” added Carpio, who argued for the Philippine side against China's vast claims before the UN tribunal.—AOL, GMA News
 

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