MANILA, Philippines — Despite continuous attacks from Chinese authorities in the West Philippine Sea, retired Supreme Court Associate Justice Antonio Carpio said the Philippines is on the right track with its call for dialogue with China over the West Philippine Sea, saying that the national government needs to file another arbitration case against Beijing.
In an exclusive ambush interview on the sidelines of the Rotary Club Manila’s forum on the West Philippine Sea, the retired associate justice said that the Marcos administration is now making up for the inaction of the previous administration and is heading in the right direction with its ongoing dialogue concerning the West Philippine Sea dispute.
He also said that apart from the dialogue, the Marcos government needs to file another arbitration case against China for its continuous dismissal of the Hague ruling.
“Right now we’re catching up because natulog tayo during the last administration but the Marcos Jr. administration now is I think [on] the right track but my recommendation now is to file another arbitration case,” he told Orion Post.
Carpio said that the Philippine government needs to step up and publish documents and public information supporting the international tribunal decision that the West Philippine Sea is a maritime territory of the Philippines.
The national government needs to “convince the world” and challenge Beijing to provide concrete evidence proving their right in the contested maritime territory, he said.
President Marcos Jr. said that the Philippines won’t resort to fueling intimidations contrary to what China is doing to assert the country’s rights in the maritime region and said the national government will continue to promote diplomatic dialogue between China about the “de-escalation” of the issue.
China and the Philippines have recently reached a “provisional arrangement” for rotation and resupply (RORE) missions to the BRP Sierra Madre in Ayungin Shoal, according to the Department of Foreign Affairs, noting that both parties agreed that the arrangement “will not prejudice each other’s positions in the South China Sea.”
When asked how the Philippines could pursue diplomatic dialogue with China if it resorts to war, Carpio said that declaring war is the last option China would consider, especially due to potential interventions from the United States, a strong ally of the Philippines.
“The last thing that they want is for the US to intervene but for them declaring war is stupid because if there will be a nuclear war, not a single Chinese will survive,” said Carpio.
He also compared the number of nuclear bombs owned by China and the US, noting that China has only 500, while the US has 5,500.
The US recently pledged a total of $500 million in military assistance aimed at strengthening the country’s armed security and territorial defense. As the Marcos government celebrated the aid from Washington, Beijing was quick to hit back and said that the aid from the United States could destabilize the contested region.
Although there have been no aggressive incidents from the Chinese side in recent weeks following the brutal encounter with Chinese authorities last June that resulted in a Filipino sailor losing his thumb, reports indicate that China has increased its military presence in key areas within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone.
