Carpio ignores Duterte’s statement

June 27, 2019

Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio on Thursday ignored President Rodrigo Duterte's tirade for criticizing the  overnment's reported decision to allow Chinese to fish in Recto Bank in the West Philippine Sea.

Duterte called Carpio "buang (Visayan word for crazy) and "stupid" after the senior magistrate described as unconstitutional the president's decision to allow Chinese fishermen in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ), which Carpio said is within the territory of the Philippines.

“You’re really stupid. That is why that’s just how far you will go," Duterte said Wednesday in his speech during the 122th anniversary of the Presidential Security Group.

"Those personal attacks are not worth commenting," Carpio said in a text message. 

But Carpio welcomed the statement made by Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo that Duterte was misinterpreted by media and that the government would never relinquish sovereign rights in its EEZs.

"I welcome the clarification of Sec. Panelo that the President never meant to allow the Chinese to fish with Philippine EEZ," he commented.

In a statement, Panelo said  when Duterte made the remark about Chinese fishermen trawling in the Philippines' EEZ, the latter meant that the government of China will not permit their fishermen from doing that because Manila and Beijing are friends.

"After watching the President's interview and reading its transcript, I have evaluated that it appears that what the President meant was China would not allow their nationals from fishing in our EEZ since they treat us as their friends, knowing that permitting their fishermen to fish in our EEZ would only result in an unwanted hostility leading to an armed confrontation," Panelo said.

Panelo said Duterte "confirmed that indeed that was what he meant" when he asked him regarding his statement.

"He explained that his first visit to China resulted into a modus vivendi where China which claims ownership of Reed Bank, by virtue of historical right, would allow our fishermen to catch fish there, a place declared to be within our EEZ," he said. DMS