The President's stand on the sea line needs to be revised – Carpio

The recent poll of social weather stations showing that four of the five Filipinos have rebuffed the government's approach to territorial conflict with China has proved that President Rodrigo Duterte's policy was contrary to the public's stance, acting Carpio , which defends the country's sovereignty over the Philippine Sea, in the 370 km exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of the Philippines in the South China Sea, said the latest poll also signaled the need for the administration Duterte to rethink his position on the conflict.

"The Filipino people understand the situation … we must protect our sovereign rights and we should not allow another country to seize them.They express it in investigations," Carpio told the Inquirer in an interview

"overwhelming majority"

"I think the Duterte administration is going in one direction while the majority of people want to go another way.So, the Duterte administration is going against the wishes of the overwhelming majority of people, "he said.

The survey, conducted from 27 to 30 June, also showed that 81% of Filipinos felt that the government authorized the militarization of the reefs claimed by the Philippines in the Spratly Archipelago

According to Mr. Carpio The results of the survey were hailed as they were released just two days after the country celebrated its second anniversary. China at the Permanent Court of Arbitration of The Hague

In this ruling, handed down two weeks after the president came to power in 2016, the Court declared invalid almost the entire sea of Southern China under international law. He also found that China was violating the sovereign rights of the Philippines to fish and explore resources in the western Philippine Sea.

But instead of asking the help of the international community to implement the decision, the President put aside China

Carpio said that further education would help to raise awareness Filipinos to the importance of the arbitration decision.

"The survey indicates that people want to enforce the decision.It is very simple.Although the president does not want to enforce the decision, 80% of Filipinos want it to be fully implemented. ", he added.

"Let's protect what belongs to us"

"It's just logical common sense that we protect what is ours.The leaders of the country should protect them because the Constitution states that the The state should protect its marine wealth in its EEZ, "said Carpio, a member of the legal team who won the decision for the Philippines.

The military are the protectors of our EEZ because they are the protector of the state and its territorial integrity. The duty lies with them and the president being the commander-in-chief of the armed forces, "he added.

As he has said many times in public speeches, Carpio reiterated that he There were "simple ways" for the Philippines to invoke arbitration.

For his part, Mr. Carpio said that the Duterte administration could reach an agreement on the maritime boundary with Malaysia and Vietnam.

It could also request the extension of its continental shelf off the coast. Luzon, he said

Freedom of Navigation

"We should also congratulate us [these] on the freedom of navigation [operations] of the foreign naval powers. This really enforces the arbitration decision in the sense that these foreign naval powers are the high seas, "said Carpio.

As for the hanging by activists on Thursday of tarpaulin panels on pedestrian viaducts in Metro Manila Who proclaimed The Philippines being a province of China, Mr. Carpio said that it was more important to "look at the more substantive question" of the question.

"What are we doing now to protect our sovereign rights? That's the question we should ask ourselves [ourselves]"he said.

" For me, it just shows that people are already joking about the fact that the Philippines is becoming a province of China " , he added, miss the latest news and information.