Marcoleta to proceed with debate vs. Carpio - if without limitations

Senator Rodante Marcoleta on Tuesday said he would push through with the debate with retired Supreme Court Associate Justice Antonio Carpio at any time should the limitations on the topics that they will deliberate on be removed. 

Marcoleta said this after the Philippine Bar Association offered to host a public debate between him and Carpio on the issue of the West Philippine Sea.

“Payag naman ako kahit kailan. Nasabi ko na ito. Ngunit ‘yung limitasyon na kanyang binabanggit, hindi ata nasabi kung tatanggalin ‘yung mga limitations na kanyang nilagay,” the senator said in an interview on Balitanghali. 

(I'm willing to do it anytime. I've already said this before. But as to the limitations that he mentions, he did not say whether those will be removed.) 

“Kung maaalis na ‘yung mga limitasyon sana at ayusin nila. Gawin nila in terms of proposition,” he added. 

(I’m willing to do it if the limitations are removed. I hope they will fix this. They should do it in terms of propositions.) 

Marcoleta said there should be no limitations to the debate, with the West Philippine Sea being the general topic, because it is a complex issue. 

“Paano mo naman ili-limit ‘yung napakalawak na subject matter ng West Philippine Sea? Hindi lamang sa malawak ito. Ito ay complex at far-reaching ang kanyang consequences. So, hindi dapat bibigyan ng limitasyon, lalong-lalo na ‘yung limitasyon ay sa akin pa diumano nanggaling ‘yung mga pananalita na hindi ko naman talaga sinabi ‘yung gano'n,” he said. 

(How would you limit the vast subject matter of the West Philippine Sea? It's not just broad, it's complex and its consequences are far-reaching. So, no limit should be set, especially since he wants to talk about the alleged remarks which I didn’t even say.) 

To recall, Marcoleta challenged Carpio, Philippine Coast Guard spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea Commodore Jay Tarriela, and University of the Philippines Institute of Maritime Affairs and Law of the Sea professor Jay Batongbacal to a “friendly debate,” following the row on his remarks on the Kalayaan Island Group. 

Carpio already accepted the Philippine Bar Association’s offer to host the public debate, saying that the senator’s remarks must be corrected.

The neophyte senator also threatened to sue the former Supreme Court Associate Justice for treason over a decision he penned in 2011 on a case involving the country’s territory. 

For his part, Carpio explained that treason only applies if the country is in the middle of a war. 

“Every first year law student knows that treason cannot be committed during peacetime. The crime of treason can be committed only if the Philippines is at war. That is clear in Article 114 of our Revised Penal Code,” Carpio said. 

Marcoleta, on the other hand, claimed he was only referring to the generic sense of the word treason. 

“Akala ko naman malawak ang kanyang pangunawa. Ang sinasabi ko lamang diyan, I'm not referring to the book definition of treason. I am referring to the generic sense of the word treason kasi ang sinasabi ko riyan, napakalawak na bahagi ng ating teritoryo ang kanyang ipinamigay sa pamamagitan ng kanyang maling pagdedesisyon,” he said. 

(I thought he had a wide understanding on this matter. I'm not referring to the book definition of treason. I am referring to the generic sense of the word treason because what I'm saying is, he gave away a very large part of our territory through his wrong decision.) —RF, GMA Integrated News