MALOLOS CITY, Bulacan — “The Constitution might just be a piece of paper, but we the people give it power.”

This was the statement made by De La Salle University-Manila law professor Atty. Antonio A. Ligon during a forum held by the Dangal Ng Bulacan Foundation Inc. (DBFI) on the West Philippine Sea (WPS) issue at the Hiyas Ng Bulacan Convention Center on Saturday.

The forum tackled the rights of the Philippines in its claim to the area and the implications of the dispute. The DBFI aims to put the discussion on record for historical purposes.

Ligon’s statement was a retort to ex-President Rodrigo Duterte’s remark regarding the territorial row between the Philippines and China, where Duterte allegedly said the Constitution was just a piece of paper.

Ligon emphasized that if the Filipino people uphold the Constitution, only then does it become powerful. He explained that the Philippines’ claim to the WPS is based on Article I of the 1987 Constitution of the Philippines regarding the National Territory, which comprises the Philippine archipelago.