Retired Justice Antonio T. Carpio refutes Senator Marcoleta’s threat to file treason charges over the 2011 Magallona v. Ermita ruling, explaining that treason applies only in wartime and that the decision aligned Philippine law with UNCLOS and constitutional principles.
Justice Carpio outlines how the Philippines uses archipelagic and normal baselines under UNCLOS and existing law to measure maritime zones, and explains why issuing and publishing official nautical charts is key to asserting sovereign rights.
Justice Carpio explains why the Philippines’ territorial claim in the South China Sea is confined to the Kalayaan Island Group and criticizes legislative proposals that seek to expand claims to the wider Spratly Islands in ways inconsistent with international law.