Retired Supreme Court (SC) senior associate justice Antonio Carpio on Thursday said he is willing to have a series of debates with Senator Rodante Marcoleta on the West Philippine Sea (WPS) issue.
In an interview with Manila Standard, he said this is his response to the senator’s idea of a “freewheeling debate”.
“A debate must have a proposition. One party will take the affirmative side, and the other party will take the negative side,” he said.
“If the topic is too broad, it can be broken down into a series of debates. I am willing to have a series of debates with Sen. Marcoleta on the West Philippine Sea,” he added.
Carpio noted that the debates can be held in different universities in the country.
The retired magistrate shared that among the issues that can be discussed is the legal existence of the WPS since Marcoleta denies such.
“If Sen. Marcoleta is correct that there is legally no West Philippine Sea, then there is no point in proceeding with further debates. We cannot debate on something that does not exist,” he explained.
As such, he suggests that the first debate should discuss the country’s claim on sovereignty over islands of the Kalayaan Island Group that are outside its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).
When asked if he intends to set a date for the debate, he said they have to agree first on the topic.
