Duterte ‘not concerned’ about presence of Chinese vessels near disputed reef —Carpio

Retired Supreme Court (SC) justice Antonio Carpio on Thursday accused President Rodrigo Duterte of having no sense of urgency amid the continued presence of Chinese vessels near Julian Felipe Reef in the West Philippine Sea.

Duterte is expected to discuss the issue with China’s Ambassador to the Philippines Huang Xilian, but Carpio said a date has not yet been set.

“If we are really serious about this, the President should call the ambassador of China and berate him. Heads of state do this if they are invaded, if there are encroachments on their territory or maritime zones,” Carpio told CNN Philippines.

“In situations like this you immediately summon the ambassador of the other country. Here we don’t do it.”

Carpio claimed that Duterte was “not concerned at all” about the issue even after his aides filed a diplomatic protest and urged China to immediately withdraw the boats which the Philippine military believed were crewed by maritime militia.

“I think the President will just allow the DFA (Department of Foreign Affairs) to protest, will allow our military to make noise but he will not do anything because President Duterte doesn’t want to incur the ire of [Chinese] President Xi Jinping. He loves President Xi Jinping,” the retired magistrate said.

“How can President Duterte go against his idol? His idol is President Xi Jinping.”

The Philippines initially monitored 220 Chinese vessels near the reef, which is inside Manila’s exclusive economic zone, on March 7. The number of vessels, which China claimed were taking shelter from rough seas, later went down to 183.

Still, Armed Forces chief General Cirilito Sobejana has ordered the deployment of additional naval assets to the West Philippine Sea to increase the country’s visibility and ensure the security and safety of Filipino fishermen there.

For Carpio, the Philippines should beach a vessel at Julian Felipe Reef just like in the Ayungin Shoal, where a rusty Navy ship was intentionally grounded in 1999 to mark the country's sovereign rights over the area.

“I would be happy if he [Duterte] orders that we beach a landing ship on Julian Felipe Reef because that landing vessel is a public vessel and it cannot be attacked by China without triggering the Mutual Defense Treaty. China will not attack that vessel,” said Carpio, who warned on Wednesday that China might seize the reef from the Philippines.

The 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty obliges American troops to help defend the Philippines if it comes under attack.

China insists ownership over nearly the entire South China Sea — a claim debunked by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in July 2016 following a lawsuit filed by the Philippines.

Beijing does not recognize the ruling despite calls from the Philippines and United States for the Asian powerhouse to comply.—AOL, GMA News