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MANILA - Despite strongly worded statements and diplomatic protests following reports of Chinese ships in the West Philippine Sea, China would still believe it has President Rodrigo Duterte as its ally because he is not speaking himself, retired Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio said Thursday.

With fresh reports on vessels swarming the Philippines' exclusive economic zone, Carpio said China "is showing to the world it doesn’t care about international law, it doesn’t care about world opinion and it has President Duterte as its ally."

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Earlier this month, when hundreds of ships were first sighted at the Julian Felipe Reef, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana demanded that the vessels leave the West Philippine Sea, saying he was "no fool" and that there were "no other reason" for the Chinese to stay there when the weather was clear.

The Department of Foreign Affairs recently filed 2 diplomatic protests against China over the presence of some 240 Chinese ships across the West Philippine Sea reported on Tuesday and their remaining vessels at Julian Felipe Reef.

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"But the spokesperson of President Duterte said this can be settled among friends. That means Malacañang is downplaying this whole incident, that this can be settled among friends. This is a very important national issue, our sovereign rights are involved, our sovereignty is involved," Carpio told ANC's Headstart when asked about the stance taken by the DFA and the Department of National Defense.

"The President must speak. He must stand up himself because if his subordinates do the talking China will not listen because China will listen only to the leader of the nation. If the President is silent, then China will continue," he said.

While Duterte speaking out would not guarantee that Chinese vessels would leave, the "Chinese will take us seriously."

"They will feel the heat because they will lose a friend if the President will speak," he said.

Carpio was part of the team that argued for the Philippines' maritime rights in the West Philippine Sea before The Permanent Court of Arbitration at The Hague. The verdict, handed down in 2016, invalidated China's sweeping claims in the South China Sea.

According to onlookers, Duterte set aside this award to seek closer ties with Asia's largest economy.

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