President Duterte hit retired Supreme Court Associate Justice Antonio Carpio, who has been staunchly defending the Philippines’ rights over the West Philippine Sea (WPS), telling him that China “will just give you a finger.”
The President raised doubts that China would give up its territorial claims believing the area is theirs even if the country gets help from the United Nations.
Duterte posed a question to the retired SC justice during his late-night pre-recorded address to the nation Monday, April 19.
“Ito naman si Carpio, daldal nang daldal wala namang… Ano bang gusto mo? Sige ka punta doon sa… (This Carpio keeps on talking but he doesn’t… What do you like? Right, go there to…) Do you think China will obey the United Nations? I’ll ask you a question: If the United Nations will ask China to surrender because of that award given to us, ibibigay ba ng China ‘yan? (will China give that back?),” Duterte asked Carpio.
The Chief Executive said Carpio was “a dreamer” if he thought that the UN could compel China to heed the Philippines’ victory against Beijing at the Permanent Court of Arbitration in the Netherlands, which invalidated China’s sweeping nine-dash line claim in 2016.
“You know, the —the Chinese government will just give you a finger. Wala kang ma —hindi mo matakot ‘yang mga ‘yan (You cannot scare them) because they firmly believe na kanila talaga ‘yan (that is theirs),” he said.
Duterte instead pinned the blame on the administration of former President Benigno Aquino III.
“And besides ‘yong amo niya (his boss) it started the occupation of constructive——the constructive occupation of China happened during the Aquino administration,” the President added.
He was referring to the 2012 standoff at the Scarborough Shoal off the coast of Zambales province.
From April to mid-June 2012, the two countries’ military vessels had a standoff at the shoal, which is part of the Philippines’ Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). But on June 15, the Philippines ordered its vessel to retreat after a deal supposedly brokered by the United States persuaded China to do the same.
Beijing is believed to have reneged on the deal as it does not want to seem weak domestically. Since then, China had construction and reclamation activities in the shoal, which resulted to the Philippines’ filing of protest before the international court.
“Eh itong si Carpio, kung anong pinagdadaldal (This Carpio, he keeps on talking), he’s a dreamer. I’ll give you 100 years, you can never get something there maski isang basong tubig sa China ngayon. Tapos sige kayo intriga sa Pilipino, sige kayo intriga (even one glass of water from China now. Then, go and make intrigues among Filipinos, go and make an intrigue),” Duterte said.
He added that “the constructive occupation of the West Philippine Sea com --- was completed by the singular act of China not retreating” in 2012.
Duterte said he would not have retreated if the standoff happened during his administration.
This remark is in stark contrast to the Chief Executive’s friendly stance toward Beijing.
During his televised address, the President also reminded Carpio, who is his daughter Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio’s uncle-in-law, to stay out of politics.
“Iyan si Carpio, you just --- ‘wag ka nang sumali sa politika, wala kang alam diyan para kang buang. Mga --- ‘yong grupo mo puro… Tingnan mo ‘pag election, ‘di ba malampaso (This Carpio, you just — don’t meddle in politics, you don’t know anything about it you are like a fool. Your group — during elections, they lose),” Duterte said.
Carpio is one of the proponents of 1Sambayan, an anti-Duterte coalition that hopes to field a united opposition candidate. The coalition’s choices for President in 2022 are Vice President Leni Robredo, Senator Grace Poe, and Manila Mayor Isko Moreno.