Says PHL should not be intimidated to fight for rights in this intergenerational struggle
(Eagle News) — Retired Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio said that China is employing scare and intimidation tactics in the West Philippine Sea and is not really prepared to go to war over its ambitions since war would be extremely disadvantageous to China.
In an interview with the Eagle News Service program “Mata ng Agila” recently, Carpio said that the Philippines should not be intimidated and scared by China’s bullying moves over the country’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), but should instead stand up to China and do joint patrols in the South China Sea together with other countries affected by China’s expansive claims.
He also described the fight in the West Philippine Sea an an inter-generational struggle that would affect future generations, and said that the Philippines should pursue actions that would lay the foundation for future generations to fight China’s bullying tactics.
Carpio said that the 2016 arbitral award that the Philippines won at the Permanent Court of Arbitration at The Hague is one such foundation.
“This fight is an inter-generational struggle. Ang mga anak natin and granchildren ipaglalaban din ito. Tinatayo ang foundation ngayon. Ang arbitral ruling, foundation yan para puede tayong lumaban,” Carpio told Eagle News Service Friday night.
“Pahabaan ito ng pisi. We should not be scared. We should have a very long perspective. Ang China mahaba plano nila. Dapat kasinghaba din ang plano natin,” he said stressing how far-ranging the Philippine vision on the West Philippine Sea should be.
-China’s intimidation tactics –
Carpio describes China’s strategy mostly employing intimidation and scare tactics to weaken the Philippines’ resolve to fight for its EEZ where China has posted their ships.
“Ang strategy ng China ay hindi makipag-giyera. Ang strategy ng China ay to initimidate, para takutin tayo. Pag nagka-giyera, mawawalan rin ang China,” he said.
What China wants is to get the West Philippine Sea without firing a shot. They would succeed if the Philippines would get scared and let them be.
“Ayaw nila ng giyera. Gusto nilang makuha ang West Philippine Sea sea without firing a shot. Ang gusto lang ng China, takutin tayo para umatras tayo,” he said in the interview with NET 25’s Mata ng Agila.
Justice Carpio said that the diplomatic protests being done by the country now, including the intensified moves to patrol the West Philippine Sea by the Philippine Navy, were correct.
-Joint patrols, part of exercise of PHL legal rights-
He urged the Philippines to have joint patrols in the West Philippine Sea with countries which are affected by China’s moves such as the United States, the United Kingdon, France and Japan. China’s building of illegal structures in the disputed seas is a violation of internationally accepted and respected principles and laws such as the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Seas (UNCLOS). He also urged the Philippines to have joint patrols with neighboring countries in the ASEAN region which are also concerned about China’s moves in the West Philippine Sea and the South China Sea in general.
“Tama ang ginagawa ng gobyerno na nagpoprotesta,” he said.
“Kailangan sumama na tayo sa patrolya ng US, UK, France and Japan sa West Philippine Sea. Ang patrols na ito ine-enforce ng arbitral award,” he said.
Carpio said these joint patrols give the message to China that these waters in the West Philippine Sea are part of the country’s territory.
“Hindi ito tubig niyo (China). Tubig ng Pilipinas ito,” he said.
-United front among neighboring ASEAN countries against China –
Carpio said that the Philippines can also do joint patrols with Vietnam, Malaysia and Indonesia in the waters covering their respective EEZ or exclusive economic zone, just as these countries could participate with the country in joint patrols of the Philippine EEZ, to show that the Philippines and other ASEAN countries affected by China’s nine-dash line claims are united against China’s illegal claims.
“Para mapakita sa China na buo tayo, united tayo. Lahat ng mga countries na aapakan ng 9-dash line ay sama-sama laban sa China,” said the retired justice who remains vocal in his advocacy in fighting for the country’s rights in the disputed seas.
He stressed that these joint patrols are not confrontational.
“This is an exercise of our rights under the international law. May karapatan tayong mag-patrolya dyan. Exercising our legal right is not confrontational,” he said.
(Eagle News Service)
