Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio, a fierce defender of the Philippine rights in the West Philippine Sea, rebutted President Rodrigo Duterte's claim that he could grant fishing rights to China.
“Short of expressly advocating a call to arms, there are those who say that we should stand up and stop those who fish in our economic zone. Of course, we will do, in due time,” Duterte said during his fourth State of the Nation Address on Monday.
An international arbitral tribunal in July 2016 invalidated Beijing's sweeping nine-dash line claim to almost the entire South China Sea and recognized the Philippines' sovereign rights over some areas in its EEZ, including Recto Bank. It did not decide on which country has sovereignty over Scarborough Shoal, but said China violated Filipino fishermen's traditional fishing rights when they blocked them from entering the resource-rich area. China rejects the ruling.
The Duterte administration has been criticized for allegedly lawyering for China, whose friendship the President has nurtured. The President again recalled that Xi had told him there would be “trouble” if the Philippines would pursue plans to drill for oil in the West Philippine Sea. Malacañang has said that since then, he kept on saying he could not go to war against the East Asian giant for fear of losing Filipino lives.
Carpio added China's"steel-hulled trawlers" do not qualify for traditional fishing as it only covers simple, wooden fishing boats.
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