Carpio, Panelo exchange pleasantries after “word war” over Chinese loan

March 28, 2019

Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio and Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo have apparently ended their "word war" over the Philippine loan to China as they exchanged pleasantries at the sidelines of a lawyers' event in Iloilo on Thursday.

Panelo shared to the media a photo of him and Carpio at Mariott Hotel in Iloilo City where they were attending the Integrated Bar of the Philippines National Convention.

"Hahaha exchanged pleasantries," Panelo said of his photo with Carpio.

On Carpio's reported reply to reporters that he and Panelo engaged in small talk, like "how to invade China," the presidential spokesman said it was just a joke.

"How to invade China is a joke, we both made it up to make the reporters who will ask us to laugh. We just exchanged pleasantries," he said.

Panelo earlier called Carpio as "unpatriotic" for apparently teaching China to seize the oil and gas on the Philippine-claimed Reed Bank or Recto Bank in the South China Sea when the magistrate raised concern over the terms of Manila's $62-million loan with China on the Chico River Pump Irrigation Project.

Panelo had said Carpio was trying to create "loopholes" on the loan agreement even if there was none.

The Palace official said he and Carpio are friends and brothers in the Sigma Rho Fraternity at the University of the Philippines College of Law.

"He (Carpio) is junior brod. I was one of the senior brods who initiated him but not physical," said Panelo, who is also the chief presidential legal counsel. Celerina Monte/DMS