Antonio Carpio, a former senior associate justice, has expressed concern over the provisional understanding between the Philippines and China for Ayungin Shoal. He believes that this agreement should be terminated as soon as possible and not extended to other West Philippine Sea features.
Carpio, who was part of the Philippine delegation in the 2013 arbitration case against China, fears that China will try to expand the agreement to cover the entire WPS. This would compromise the Philippines’ sovereign rights and allow China to exert control over its exclusive economic zone.
The BRP Sierra Madre, an old landing ship, was deliberately grounded in Ayungin Shoal as a symbol of the country’s claims in the disputed area. Carpio emphasizes that the Philippines does not need permission from China for rotation and resupply (RoRe) missions to this feature.
Read more about this story on GMA News Online.