Rody backs out of debate, designates Roque

President Duterte has backed out of his challenge to retired senior associate justice Antonio Carpio and former foreign affairs chief Albert del Rosario for a debate on the West Philippine Sea issue, purportedly upon the advice of his Cabinet.

Duterte’s decision yesterday came two days after Carpio announced he was accepting the Chief Executive’s dare, issued during a televised address Wednesday night.

Instead, Malacañang said Duterte has designated presidential spokesman Harry Roque Jr. to represent him in a debate with Carpio and Del Rosario on the West Philippine Sea issue.

Carpio and Del Rosario were instrumental in the filing of a case in 2013 before the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague contesting China’s massive claim in the South China Sea. The arbitral court issued a ruling in 2016 invalidating Beijing’s claim and reaffirming Manila’s maritime entitlements.

“Now, anyway, the President is prepared for the debate but last night, some members of the Cabinet, including Executive Secretary (Salvador) Medialdea, advised him that the debate will not do the nation any good,” Roque said in Filipino and English.

Senate President Vicente Sotto III and Sen. Aquilino Pimentel III also expressed the same sentiment, Roque added.

“Second, the members of the Cabinet expressed concern why a sitting President should hold the debate when attorney Antonio Carpio, although a former justice, is but a regular lawyer today,” he said.

Roque explained the Cabinet members were against pitting Duterte against Carpio, saying they are not on the same level.

“It seems it is not a match that the Office of the President or the President himself will be pitted against an ordinary lawyer. It is not fair,” he said. “Third, the most important thing, the members of the Cabinet advised him against participating in such debates.”

The presidential spokesman said the debate should focus on how and why the country lost control of Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal to China in 2012.

He said anything the President would say in the debate would have impact on foreign policy. He explained there are pressing matters that should not be made public.

Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. said he is more interested in finding out who was responsible for the country’s loss of Panatag Shoal to the Chinese.

“Debate is Harry’s remit; my interest is what happened to make us drop the ball of territorial right,” Locsin said in response to a netizen on Twitter.

“I wanna know. Why did we pull out of Scarborough? I’ve blamed the US but the US never ordered just us to stand down and withdraw but both China and the Philippines. Yet only the Philippines withdrew? Why? No need to invite; they can tweet the explanation,” he said in another tweet.

Old on both sides

Locsin on Thursday said he supports President Duterte’s suggestion to investigate Del Rosario over the withdrawal of Philippine vessels during the 2012 Panatag Shoal standoff with the Chinese.

“We’re all old on both sides of the argument about the loss of Scarborough Shoal; it is time that those ones who were in charge of protecting our territory come clean on what exactly happened when we walked – rather sailed away from a confrontation. Could anyone make them do that?” Locsin said.

The DFA chief also maintained that Duterte did not give away an inch of the country’s territory in the West Philippine Sea, but “a lot” had been lost during the Aquino administration.

Senators said a debate won’t help country secure firmly its sovereign rights over the West Philippine Sea.

“I doubt if the country will benefit from such a debate,” Sotto said in a text message to reporters.

Sen. Panfilo Lacson, who chairs the Senate committee on national defense and security, said public debate is always healthy in a democratic environment, “as long as it is limited to the issue at hand, and does not go down to gutter level.

“On one hand, a question comes to mind: what do we gain from the debate, assuming that it pushes through? One other dire outcome is further divisiveness that only China will benefit from,” Lacson said.

“I could almost imagine the anticipated excitement on the part of the Chinese while watching all these developments as they continue to be busy surveying more shoals within our exclusive economic zone that they can build more garrisons to pursue their expansionist agenda in the WPS,” he said.

He said the hype surrounding the debate raised by Duterte should not distract the nation’s attention to the Chinese sneaking into the country’s territory while Filipinos argue among themselves.

“That would be the last thing we need for our sovereignty and territorial integrity,” Lacson said.

“A formal public debate is not necessary because, one, it will not settle anything; two, it will only give to the entire world the impression that we are divided on the issue (when in reality we may not be),” Pimentel said in a text message.

“Also, the Filipino people who are the potential and supposed to be the primary audience to the debate may be interested in some other things more important to them like food on the table, a reliable and decent source of income or livelihood, day to day peace and order, etcetera,” he said.

Speaker Lord Allan Velasco, for his part, said President Duterte has consistently declared his resolve to defend the Philippines’ sovereign rights over the West Philippine Sea.