WPS showdown: Carpio accepts Marcoleta’s debate challenge

MANILA, Philippines — Retired Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio has accepted Sen. Rodante Marcoleta’s challenge to a debate, setting the stage for a significant public education on national sovereignty and maritime security.

Marcoleta was invited by Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) spokesperson Commodore Jay Tarriela to join a domain awareness flight to the Kalayaan Island Group (KIG).

In response, Marcoleta said that before going to KIG, he wants to have a friendly debate with Tarriela, along with Carpio and University of the Philippines Institute for Maritime Affairs and Law of the Sea director Jay Batongbacal.

READ: PCG’s Tarriela to Marcoleta: WPS claim not up for debate

Responding to the invitation, Carpio said: “I accept Sen. Marcoleta’s debate challenge.”

Carpio, a staunch advocate for Philippine sovereign rights in the South China Sea and one of the primary architects of the Philippines’ legal victory at The Hague, proposed a two-part agenda for the friendly debate:

1.    Is there legally a West Philippine Sea?

2.    If yes, are the maritime features of the Kalayaan Island Group part of the West Philippine Sea?

The challenge comes following the long-standing public discourse regarding the 2016 Arbitral award that invalidated China’s claim. /das