Palace dares Carpio to sue Duterte over 'scrap of paper' remark

Malacañang on Monday dared retired Supreme Court Justice Antonio Carpio to file a legal case against President Rodrigo Duterte if he believes that the President's remarks regarding the West Philippine Sea violates the Constitution.

During an interview earlier in the day, Carpio said Duterte's "dangerous" statement undermining the Philippines' victory in the case it filed against China is tantamount to betrayal of public trust, which is an impeachable offense.

Carpio believes Duterte's statement that the arbitral ruling is a scrap of paper meant to be thrown in the wastebasket could jeopardize the country’s interests.

But at a press briefing, presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said Carpio's accusation is "bereft of merit." 

"Puwede kayo magdemanda sa hukuman kung saan kayo naging kabilang kung talagang sa tingin ninyo eh may nilabag na probisyon ng Saligang Batas ang Presidente, in your standing as a citizen,” Roque said.

(You as a citizen can go to the court and file a complaint if you think the President violated the Constitution.)

Roque said he once sought for a Supreme Court remedy to stop Congress from holding impeachment proceedings against then-Supreme Court Chief Justice Hilario Davide.

“The Supreme Court recognizes the standing of the citizen [to intervene in an impeachment proceeding],” he said.

Roque and his fellow petitioners back then, however, was not trying to impeach Davide but was seeking to stop Congress from doing so.
They ultimately succeeded when the high court issued a status quo ante order to Congress.

Roque has insisted that the Philippines never lost a territory to China during the Duterte administration even if Filipino fisherfolk have consistently complained of the Chinese vessels driving them out or launching aggression to prevent them from fishing within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

In a July 2016 ruling, the Hague-based Permanent Court of Arbitration rejected China's claim of sovereignty in the entire South China Sea.

The same decision, which stemmed from a 2013 case filed by the Philippines against China, also ruled that the Spratly Islands, Panganiban (Mischief) Reef, Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal and Recto (Reed) Bank are within the Philippines' EEZ. --KBK, GMA News