Marcoleta, Carpio won’t back down from West PH Sea debate

Senator Rodante Marcoleta and retired Supreme Court Associate Justice Antonio Carpio on Wednesday both expressed willingness to push through with their anticipated debate regarding issues concerning the West Philippine Sea. 

While he acknowledged that Filipino officials should not be engaging in public arguments regarding the West Philippine Sea, Marcoleta said that he wants to clarify his stance on the issue, insisting that his words were manipulated and distorted.

“Hindi natin binibigyan ng bala ang China. Sila ‘yung salita nang salita ng mali. Nililinlang ang mamamayan, ako ang pinasasama. Ako lang naman ang nagsasabi, kung kailangan natin i-drawing, kailangan pag-usapan natin. Huwag ninyong imamali. Kung ano-ano pinagsasabi nila eh,” he said in a Super Radyo dzBB interview.

(We are not giving China an upper hand. Carpio and others keep on talking about something that’s wrong. They are deceiving the people, and I am the one being implicated. I just said that we should draw a map and we should talk about this. Don’t get me wrong. They keep on telling nonsense.)

Carpio, on the other hand, stressed that Marcoleta has to admit first that there is a West Philippine Sea before the debate is called off. 

“Aminin niya na merong West Philippine Sea dahil nasa batas natin eh. Member siya ng Congress when it was passed. E 'di tapos na. That is our right to declare a West Philippine Sea dahil we have sovereign rights and jurisdiction. ‘Pag sinasabi niyang walang West Philippine Sea, iba na ‘yun, wala tayong magawa kasi belief niya ‘yun eh,” the former SC official said. 

(He has to admit that there is a West Philippine Sea because it's in our law. He was a member of Congress when it was passed. Then it’s over. That is our right to declare a West Philippine Sea because we have sovereign rights and jurisdiction. If he says there is no West Philippine Sea, that's different, we can't do anything anymore because that's his belief.) 

“Kapag pabayaan mo si Marcoleta eh mako-confuse kayo…so I have to explain it correctly,” he added. 

(If you leave Marcoleta alone, you will get confused...so I have to explain it correctly.) 

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. 

Agreement

Meanwhile, Philippine Bar Association (PBA) president Rachelle Aileen Santos on Wednesday said that retired Associate Justice Antonio Carpio and Senator Rodante Marcoleta must first reach an agreement on the issues that they intend to discuss.

“Kailangan talaga na magtagpo sila sa proposition na ‘yan. Kailangang pareho ‘yung pinanggagalingan nila, pareho dapat ‘yung issues na gusto nila i-resolve. Doon tayo magsisimula,” she said on Super Radyo dzBB.

(It is really necessary that they agree on the propositions. They need to be coming from the same place, they should have the same issues they want to resolve. That is where we will start.)

“Kasi kahit doon hindi tayo magkasundo, walang mangyayaring debate. ‘Yun ang actually gagawin ngayon ng PBA,” she added.

(Because if we cannot even agree on that, no debate will happen. That is actually what the PBA will do now.)

The  association previously offered a neutral and secure venue, professional moderates, clear debate protocols, and open access for accredited media for the possible debate on the West Philippine Sea.

Carpio accepted the PBA’s offer while Marcoleta said he would push through with the debate should the limitations on the topics that they will deliberate on be removed. 

According to Santos, the PBA will now formally reach out to both parties. She said that the Bar Association has yet to receive any official communication from both.

“Pero uunahan na namin sila. We will summarize mostly kung ano ‘yung suggested propositions nila. We will ask them to agree kung ano nga ‘yun,” she said.

(But we will get ahead of them. We will mostly summarize what their suggested propositions are. We will ask them to agree on what those are.)

Following this, she said they will discuss when and how the debate will proceed.

Santos said that she is currently eyeing to hold the debate in a school.—AOL, GMA Integrated News