Former Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Antonio might just be "over-analyzing" the connection between the China's vaccine donations and its encroachment in the West Philippines Sea, Senator Panfilo Lacson said on Friday, March 26.
Lacson, chairman of the Senate committee on national defense and security, believed that the Chinese government is giving the Philippines vaccine supplies in good faith, and not in exchange of seizing the country's territory.
Carpio, who has been vocal against China's activities in the West Philippines Sea, earlier said the Chinese government is "trying to soften the blow" of its incursions in the Philippines' maritime zones by sending COVID-19 vaccines. He said the Philippines should not be accepting donations from China due to the territorial dispute.
Recently, over 200 Chinese fishing vessels were spotted in a formation at the Julian Felipe Reef, which is part of the Philippines' exclusive economic zone (EEZ). The Philippines has protested their presence.
"Justice Carpio is over analyzing by equating the vaccine donations to the WPS issue, particularly the latest incident in the Julian Felipe reef. The former is an act of goodwill. The latter may be tantamount to invasion of our territory," Lacson said in a text message.
The senator, however, admitted that Philippines can only do so much with a diplomatic protest, which he said "is only good as a point of information."
"And unfortunately, China has time and again merely takes note of the several protests that DFA (Department of Foreign Affairs) has filed," he lamented.
"That said, maybe our government should consider leveling up in terms of official action if only to impress upon China that we take their unabated incursions into our territory more seriously," Lacson appealed.
While saying he leaves the matter to the DFA, he said one option may be an address to the United Nations (UN) General Assembly "to call out China by citing all the incidents of intrusions and other violations of international laws and UNCLOS (UN Convention on the Law of the Sea) that they have committed against our country."
"While we value friendship, we must put our national interest above all aspects of our diplomatic relations," Lacson stressed.
Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon, on the other hand, shared Carpio's apprehension about China's donations.
"No strings attached, please. I call on the government to implement the arbitral ruling. The Department of Foreign Affairs and the Armed Forces of the Philippines should be on their toes and remain vigilant against intrusions," Drilon said in a separate message.
China has donated to the Philippines a total of one million doses of coronavirus vaccines, which were developed by Sinovac.