Duterte scorns 1987 Constitution as provision on protecting EEZ for “thoughless, senseless” Filipinos

June 27, 2019

President Rodrigo Duterte belittled on Thursday the Philippine Constitution, particularly the provision on protection of marine wealth and exclusive economic zone, saying it was only for "thoughtless and senseless" Filipinos.

Duterte even apparently likened it to a mere "tissue paper."

"This is a provision for the thoughtless and the senseless. The protection of our economic rights about the economic zone resolves this? I am protecting the country and 110 million Filipinos," he told reporters when asked how he would reconcile his stance on the presence of the Chinese fishermen on the country's EEZ and paragraph 2, Section 2, Article XII of the Constitution.

It states: The State shall protect the nation’s marine wealth in its archipelagic waters, territorial sea, and exclusive economic zone, and reserve its use and enjoyment exclusively to Filipino citizens.

Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio cited such provision, which Duterte has to uphold amid his "mutual agreement" with Chinese President Xi Jinping, allowing Chinese fìshermen on the Philippine EEZ.

Former Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario said Duterte could be impeached for this.

But Duterte even dared his critics to file an impeach complaint against him.

"You will impeach me? I will put all of them to jail. Try it. Try to take it - try to do it and I will do it," he said.

"You are going to impeach me? I will deliver all of you to Beijing. You try that. You want me, not only to violate the Constitution, how come I protect the resources when there is nobody to it?" Duterte added.

Duterte said he could not just tell China not to enter the Philippine EEZ because that is what is provided in the Philippine Constitution.

"They will tell you, 'did you run out of toilet paper, use that.' If I were them and tell, you present to me a constitution like that and have this ruckus claiming the same place in our jurisdiction, I will tell, 'if you don't have anything to use, you use your constitution'. Because that means war. And that piece of paper, the Constitution, will become meaningless with no spirit, except desperation, agony, and suffering," he said.

Asked if there was no other way to resolve the territorial dispute with China in the South China Sea except war, " Duterte said, "As it is now. Like all the other crisis, World War 2, World War 1, there was no remedy in sight."

"But God in His infinite wisdom will find the answer, not to give us the right to allow the slaughter of my countrymen," he added.

The President, when pressed to clarify his policy if he would allow Chinese fishermen to fish within the country's EEZ, refused to give categorical answer, saying whatever would be his response would be used against him by his critics.