The Philippines' BRP Cabra holds back the bigger Chinese coast guard vessel CCG-3103 from moving closer to the coast of Zambales. Philippine Coast Guard  

MANILA — As China escalates its harassment in the West Philippine Sea, retired Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio urged the Philippine government to crank up its response.

Last week, China used a sound cannon against the Philippine Coast Guard in the contested waters.

While Carpio recognizes the importance of filing diplomatic protests, he said more should be done.

“The people must demand that we already move forward. Hindi puwede yung protesta nang protesta na lang kasi we have to escalate also our response within international law,” Carpio said on Monday.

“If it disrupts or injures the eardrum, that can be considered an aggressive act so we should protest against that. We should protest and if there is injury, we should sue for damages,” Carpio added, pertaining to the sound cannon.

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For Carpio, filing another arbitral case is the best recourse considering the other acts of aggression that China has done in the past.

“I’ve been urging the government to file arbitration cases already,” he said. “It’s a political will eh. Kailangan may political will ka.”

“We can bring a case against China, yan yung injury to our Coast Guard personnel at saka doon sa extended continental shelf kasi they are claiming more than 350 nautical miles from their coastline. So we should bring that to an august tribunal saka yung damage na ginawa nila sa ating Coast Guard vessel. Yung binangga nila yung BRP Melchora Aquino,” Carpio said.

“Dapat we should already bring them to UNCLOS for damages saka doon sa Scarborough Shoal they prohibit us from going there to fish, eh common fishing ground yun. We should demand damages already,” he continued.

The Philippine Coast Guard also reported that it prevented a Chinese ship from getting closer to the coastline of Zambales on January 26.

Carpio said this action from China could be a result of its plan to assert itself.

“Talagang seryoso sila to make the 10-dash line their national boundary,” Carpio said.

He warned that more aggression could be expected from the superpower in the coming days.

Recently, China called on the Philippines to pull out the typhon missiles of the United States.

But Carpio said there was nothing wrong in using these missiles.

“We have a right to protect ourselves. They cannot demand that from us. That’s within Philippine territory,” he said. 

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