Carpio dares Duterte to prohibit China fishers from West Philippine Sea

Retired Supreme Court Associate Justice Antonio Carpio on Friday challenged President Rodrigo Duterte to prohibit China from fishing within the Philippine exclusive economic zone (EEZ) in the West Philippine Sea during his last year in office.

“Isa lang ang test. Sabihin niya lang, wala namang mawawala sa kanya, ‘susunod ako sa Saligang Batas, bawal ang mga Chinese fishermen mangisda sa ating EEZ,’” Carpio said during 1Sambayan’s virtual press conference before Duterte’s last state of the nation address.

(I have one last test for Duterte. I will wait for him to say that he will follow the Constitution and he will prohibit the Chinese fishermen from fishing in our EEZ.)

By doing so, the retired magistrate said Duterte will be following the Philippine Constitution, the 2016 Arbitral Award, the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, and international laws.

“And that is what the Filipino fishermen want pero kaya niya ba gawin yan? Napakadali. I hope he will surprise me and say na, ‘Bawal na. I will prohibit them from violating our Constitution, violating the Arbitral Award. ‘Yun lang ang hihingin ko sa kanya,” Carpio said.

(That is what the Filipino fishermen want but the question is, can he do it? I hope he will surprise me and say ‘They are no longer allowed there. I will prohibit them from violating our Constitution, violating the Arbitral Award.' That is what I request from him.)

In 2019, Duterte said he had given China the right to fish in the West Philippine Sea.

Critics alleged that Duterte may have committed an impeachable offense over a fishing deal with Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2016 as they pointed out that only the Philippines has the right to exploit resources in the country's waters including the 200-nautical mile EEZ.

Former presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo said in 2019 that the Duterte-Xi fishing agreement was not written on paper as they deem it unnecessary.

But in April this year, presidential spokesperson Harry Roque denied that Duterte had a verbal agreement with China’s president over fishing rights in the Philippine EEZ.

Duterte will be delivering his sixth and final State of the Nation Address on Monday.

The opposition coalition 1Sambayan will hold a contra-SONA next Wednesday. — DVM, GMA News