PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte should be careful with his public pronouncements on the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea) dispute and assert, not undermine, the Philippines’ claims, Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio has said. “We cannot stop China from doing this thing. Carpio said filing a protest was “the least that the President should do.”“This is what the Vietnamese did recently when China sent cruise tours to the disputed Paracels,” Carpio said. In case the Chinese attack Philippine Navy vessels, the Philippine government should invoke the Philippines-US Mutual defense Treaty which covers any armed attack on Philippine Navy vessels operating in the South China Sea, Carpio said. Asserting the Philippines’ claims “will preserve for future generations of Filipinos their national patrimony in the West Philippine Sea,” the magistrate said.

Source: Manila Times March 20, 2017 17:08 UTC