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Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 10) – President Rodrigo Duterte claims he is not afraid of facing retired Supreme Court Associate Justice Antonio Carpio regarding the West Philippine Sea issue, despite withdrawing from the debate he himself initiated. Hindi ako takot sa iyo. Ang problema, hindi ko naalala na hindi ikaw ang presidente, Duterte said during his national address on Monday.
[Translation: I m not afraid of you. The problem is I forgot that you are not the president.]
Duterte added that if he went through with the debate against Carpio, his words might bind future government actions in resolving issues in the West Philippine Sea.
By HANA BORDEY, GMA News
Published May 7, 2021 11:38am Two senators on Friday said the debate between President Rodrigo Duterte and retired Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio on the West Philippine Sea will not benefit the Filipino people. “I doubt if the country will benefit from such a debate,” Senate President Vicente Sotto III said in a text message. Senate foreign relations committee chairman Aquilino Pimentel III likewise said that the debate is not needed, pointing out that the Filipino people are interested in more important matters such as food and livelihood. A formal public debate is not necessary because, one, it will not settle anything, two, it will only give to the entire world the impression that we are divided on the issue (when in reality we may not be),” Pimentel said.
2016 arbitral ruling has no enforcement mechanisms, Esperon says By HANA BORDEY, GMA News
Published May 7, 2021 10:28am Backing the statements of President Rodrigo Duterte, National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon said the 2016 arbitral ruling, which invalidated China’s massive claims over the South China Sea, has no enforcement mechanism. ”Tama ang sinabi ng ating pangulo na papel nga yon kasi yon ang pinirmahan na dokumento pero kasi itong award na ito… it did not rule on the sovereignty over the islands,” Esperon said in an interview with Dobol B TV. (The President is right that it is just a paper. It did not rule on sovereignty over the islands.)
Published on: Friday, May 07, 2021
By: PNA
Duterte
MANILA: President Rodrigo Duterte expressed his intent to launch an investigation into the Philippines’ withdrawal of its ships in the highly-contested West Philippine Sea (WPS) amid the 2012 standoff with China.
In his taped public address, Duterte said he wants to personally ask former Supreme Court Associate Justice Antonio Carpio and former Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario why they let the Philippines withdraw the Philippine vessels in Scarborough (Panatag) Shoal in 2012.
“Albert withdrew the ships. Albert, why did you order the withdrawal of ships? Who gave you the permission? Now, if you can’t answer me, son of a b , do not put the blame on me,” Duterte said.
Duterte-Carpio debate: Timeline of the word war between two high-ranking lawyers
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This composite photo shows President Rodrigo Roa Duterte talks to the people after holding a meeting with the Inter-Agency Task Force on the Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) core members at the Malacañang Golf (Malago) Clubhouse in Malacañang Park, Manila on May 5, 2021 and former Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio. (Presidential photo/Simeon Celi; Philstar.com, file) );
Rodrigo Duterte and retired Supreme Court Senior Associate
Justice Antonio Carpio about the
West Philippine Sea row will no longer push through.
In a statement on May 7, Carpio said that the challenge for a debate is “pointless” and a “useless exercise” to begin with, citing no factual disputes to be talked about.