Malacañang asked retired Senior Justice Antonio Carpio and Former Secretary Albert del Rosario to stop their "illegal, impractical, and irresponsible" statements about the West Philippine Sea issue and should let President Duterte pursue his carefully calibrated foreign policy.
Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque in response to the "many fiery statements" of Carpio and Del Rosario that criticize the President’s policy on the West Philippine Sea.
In a statement, Roque said the statements of Carpio and Del Rosario were wrong and unhelpful for the country.
"They demand that the President adopt hardline all or nothing policies. However, history shows that countries who demand all or nothing policies often get nothing at all, or even end up provoking war," he said on Sunday.
"This is exactly what the President is avoiding. Because all or nothing policies are not only inconsistent with international law and international reality—they are dangerous and will not work," he added.
Roque said that Carpio and Del Rosario were wrong because the Philippines has territorial and maritime claims and entitlements in the West Philippine Sea that are disputed by other states.
"International law requires that we promote our claims and entitlements, and we manage and resolve our disputes, through peaceful and legal means," he said.
"All of these means start and end with negotiation. Even when countries implement decisions under UNCLOS, they must negotiate," he added.
The Palace official explained that President Duterte is mindful of the consequences of taking an aggressive stand on the issue that is why the Chief Executive chose to pursue a policy that has been careful, calculated, and calibrated.
"He (President Duterte) has never renounced our claims and entitlements, and in fact, he and his administration have repeatedly and consistently asserted them in bilateral talks with China and in multilateral fora like the United Nations," Roque said.
"However, he knows that, as a responsible member of the world community, the Philippines must pursue its claims by legal and diplomatic means. We must lay the basis for negotiation, by building a relationship of mutual trust and confidence, and without engaging in name-calling and brinkmanship," he added.
Roque encouraged Carpio and Del Rosario to stop misleading the people.
"As a lawyer and a diplomat respectively, Justice Carpio and Secretary Del Rosario should know better. They do know better," he said.
"They should stop misleading and endangering our people with illegal, impractical, and irresponsible statements," he added.
According to Roque, the two should just let President Duterte perform his duty as the primary architect of the country's foreign policy.
"They should leave international relations to the one who has the foresight, information, and constitutional mandate to make sound foreign policy decisions. They should let President Rodrigo Roa Duterte pursue his careful, calibrated, and calculated foreign policy to its ultimate success," he said.