President Duterte has challenged former Supreme Court Justice Antonio Carpio to a debate on the issues related to the West Philippine Sea, and offered to resign if he is proven lying about what transpired in the past.
According to the President, he will pose three questions to Carpio, including those on the controversial pullout of the Philippine ships from Panatag Shoal in 2012 and the arbitral award on the South China Sea dispute.
"Itong Carpio naman, sulat nang sulat ng mga decision para sa kanyang utak lang. Isa ring ugok itong... Bak... Supreme Court justice pareho man tayo abugado. Gusto --- eh gusto mo magdebate tayo? (Carpio keeps on writing decisions for his own mind. Here's another stupid person. Supreme Court justice, we're both lawyers. Do you want us to debate?)," Duterte said during a televised address Wednesday, May
"Mga dalawa, tatlong tanong lang ako. Sino ang nagpa-retreat? At anong ginawa ninyo after sa retreat? Nag-file ng kaso. Ngayon nanalo. Ma-enforce ba natin? Matulungan ba ninyo ako kung sabihin ninyo sa Amerikano, sabihin ninyo sa France, sabihin ninyo sa Britain, samahan ninyo kami kasi papasok kami. T*** i***** 'yan (I have two or three questions. Who ordered the retreat? What did you do after the retreat? Filed a case and won. Can we enforce it? Can you help me if you tell the Americans, France, Britain, to join us and go there? Son of a b*tch)," he said.
Duterte also offered to resign if anyone can prove he was lying about his claims about the West Philippine Sea issue. He admitted that he was "pissed off" that critics were now blaming him for the situation in the West Philippine Sea and demanding him to pursue the court decision, which he claimed was just a piece of paper.
"Maski sinong abugado tanungin ninyo, iyan ang nangyari. Ngayon, kung ako 'yong nagsisinungaling, mag-resign ako bukas kaagad. Iyan ang garantiya ko sa inyo (That's what happened even if you ask any lawyer. Now, if I'm found lying, I will resign tomorrow. That's my guarantee)," he said.
Carpio and former Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario are among the vocal critics of the President's alleged weak stance in not asserting the country's ownership of the West Philippine Sea amid recent incursions of China. Duterte however hit back at the two former officials, asking why the country "lost" the West Philippine Sea if they were really bright.
On critics' call for him to pursue the arbitral ruling that nullified China's claims in the South China Sea, Duterte argued that he did that but nothing happened.
"Iyang papel sa totoong buhay between nations, iyang papel wala ‘yan (That paper, in real life between nations, that paper is nothing)," he said.
Carpio earlier said the country deserved a President who will defend the country's sovereignty and sovereign rights in the West Philippine Sea.
In the same speech, the President appeared skeptical on whether Carpio is a Filipino. He claimed that Carpio does not look like a Filipino, adding he appeared to come from Mongolia.
Duterte made the remarks just a few days after raising doubts on the Filipino citizenship of Del Rosario. He asked Del Rosario to show proof that he is a Filipino.
The President claimed the two former officials were merely politicking, before posing a question about Carpio's nationality.
"Itong dalawa, walang mawala sa kanila. Porma ng partido. Ikaw? Paniwalaan ka Carpio na ikaw ang... Hindi mo alam ang pulitika. Eh istilo mo ng ganoon? (No one believes in the two. It's party posturing. You Carpio? You don't know politics. You have that style?)," he said.
"Papaniwalaan ka ng mga lider doon sa mga barangay? Sabihin nila iba man ang mukha nito, para ring from the Mongolian race. Hindi man Pilipino ang mukha nito. Hindi ka man natibo (People in the village will believe you? Some will say you look different, like you come from the Mongolian race. You don't look like a Filipino. You're not a native) You come from a different stock. God**** it," he added.