(Eagle News) — Despite their conflicting views over the Chico River Pump irrigation deal, everything is well between Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo and Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio.
At least this is according to a picture released by Panelo that showed the two of them beside each other, posing and smiling, at the Integrated Bar of the Philippines National Convention in Iloilo.
“We exchanged pleasantries,” Panelo said.
According to Panelo, the two were members of the Sigma Rho fraternity at the University of the Philippines College of Law.
“He is Junior brod. I was one of the senior brods who initiated him but not physical,” Panelo said.
Earlier, Panelo described Carpio as “unpatriotic” for criticizing the $62-million loan agreement between China and the Philippines.
Carpio had said under the terms of the loan agreement, China could seize the oil and gas in Reed Bank, which he said were patrimonial assets, if Manila was unable to pay the Asian giant.
But Panelo called Carpio’s apprehension “misplaced,” saying a property could only be a patrimonial asset if there was an enabling law declaring the same as such, or a proclamation on the part of the President.
Carpio retorted by saying a 1972 law actually declared the Reed Bank as such.
“We can’t stop from noticing that Justice Carpio is finding loopholes when there is none, effectively although unwittingly, coaching the Chinese on what to do in case of a default, such as seizing Philippine gas fields,” Panelo said, maintaining that in the first place, the Philippines would be able to pay off the loan.
“Wala namang loopholes, binibigyan niya ng loopholes,” Panelo added.
