PRESIDENTIAL and OVP FILE PHOTOS
MANILA, Philippines — Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque on Monday challenged Vice President Leni Robredo to debate on whether or not President Rodrigo Duterte had given away any Philippine territory to China under his administration.
Like retired Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio, Roque said Robredo was among those who claimed that the Philippines lost territories under the Duterte administration.
“Ang importante po yung debate, VP (What’s important is a debate, Vice President),” Roque said in an online briefing when sought to comment on Robredo’s remarks that it would have been a good public discourse to see Carpio and Duterte debate on the issue of the disputed maritime territories.
“Kung talagang ayaw ni Associate Justice na makipagdebate sa ordinaryong abogado gaya ko dahil siya ay retiradong mahistrado ng Supreme Court, tayo po, magdebate po tayo kasi gaya ni Associate Justice Carpio, wala pong tigil ang pgsabi niyo na nagbigay ng teritoryo ang Presidente.”
(If retired Senior Associate Justice Carpio refuses to debate woth an ordinary lawyer like me because he is a retired Supreme Court justice, let us debate, Vice President , because like Justice Carpio, you insist that President Duterte has given away parts of Philippine territory.)
“Dahil wala ring tigil si VP Leni, baka gusto nya kaming dalawa na lang (Because VP Leni keeps harping on the issue, she may want to debate with me instead),” added Roque.
Duterte has backed out from a debate with Carpio that he himself called for and instead tapped Roque to represent him.
Meanwhile, Carpio rejected a debate with Roque over what he called as “pointless” issues.
“Once and for all, meron dapat tumayo sa hanay ng oposisyon para magdebate kung talagang ang Presidente Duterte ang namimigay ng teritoryo sa Tsina o kung ibang mga administrasyon,” Roque said.
(A representative from the opposition must show up in a debate whether President Duterte, or some other administration, surrendered parts of Philippine territory to China.)
Robredo has scored Duterte’s seeming “pro-China stance” on the issue of the West Philippine Sea where Beijing’s incursions have persisted.