Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio, Akbayan Partylist representatives Chel Diokno and Perci Cendaña, along with Atin Ito Co-convenor Rafaela David, former Philippine Navy Rear Admiral Rommel Jude Ong, and various leaders fisherfolk organizations faced members of the press in a forum questioning the certainty of joint exploration with China in line with the Araw ng Kalayaan on Thursday, 9 April, 2026.
Speakers cited historical experiences, international law, national security interests, and the current situation in the West Philippine Sea, emphasizing that any talks with China about joint resource exploration must be firmly anchored on Philippine sovereignty and compliance with international law.
They also stressed that China must first recognize the Philippines’ 2016 arbitral ruling victory, respect the country’s full control over its natural resources, accept a limited role strictly as a service contractor, and cease all illegal presence and activities in Philippine waters. Absent these conditions, they will stress that China remains an unreliable and bad-faith partner.| Aram Lascano for Daily Tribune
