Ex-SC justice Carpio brings to young audience his advocacy for PH sovereignty

MANILA, Philippines—Retired Supreme Court Justice Antonio Carpio is bringing to the youth his advocacy of Philippine sovereignty in the West Philippine Sea, which is under assault by China’s aggressive territorial claims, but had been ruled as baseless by an international tribunal.

Carpio may no longer be in the government, but he continues to carry the so-called flame of protecting Philippine territory against China’s expansionist policy.

Carpio, a leading expert on the subject, has delivered numerous lectures in government offices here and abroad, universities, think tanks and security-related conferences to explain the history and the country’s legal rights over the West Philippine Sea, part of the disputed South China Sea being claimed by the Philippines.

This signature lecture, called Defending Philippine Sovereign Rights in the West Philippine Sea, is available online for everyone to watch.

But in a new six-part lecture series, composed of 10-minute videos each and called Ang Laban ni Juan Para sa West Philippine Sea, Carpio explains it all again briefly and for the first time in Filipino, as he speaks to an entirely new audience—elementary and high school students.

https://youtu.be/DK8sfOHlop8

“The battle to protect our exclusive economic zone in the West Philippine Sea is an inter-generational endeavor. These students will take over what we, the older generation, are doing today,” Carpio told INQUIRER.net.

He said China “thinks and plans in terms of centuries,” and the Philippines should do the same for its future generations.

The first episode, which was published in Institute for Maritime and Ocean Affairs’ YouTube channel, first ran on Jan. 22, 2021, the 8th anniversary of the filing of the South China Sea arbitration by the Philippines against China. Three episodes have been released so far, with one episode out each week.

The series is a special production of the Social Science Department of the Operation Brotherhood Montessori Center.

Carpio said these were meant to be used as educational materials on the West Philippine Sea. The OB Montessori will share it with other schools.

When he retired in 2019, Carpio, who is turning 72 this year, said he planned to spend his “remaining waking hours defending our sovereign rights in the West Philippine Sea through the means I know best—through the rule of law.”

TSB