Ex-Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte’s South China Sea ‘deal’ with Xi Jinping sparks calls for treason charges

Antonio Carpio, a former associate justice of the Supreme Court, told reporters on Friday that Duterte’s “status quo deal” has in effect given China control over the Second Thomas Shoal – a maritime landmark in the South China Sea where Manila grounded a WWII-era vessel, the BRP Sierra Madre, to strengthen its claims over the surrounding waters.

Carpio said he supported a legislative inquiry proposed by lawmakers to look into the deal, which he said was “against the national interest”.

“I agree with the inquiry to be able to craft a law that would mete out imprisonment to those who commit treason during peacetime. There is a gap in the law. We have to bridge that gap so that people like Duterte won’t do such things,” Carpio said.

However, the former president admitted to agreeing with Xi not to build new facilities in the disputed waters to maintain the status quo. On the BRP Sierra Madre, Duterte said food and water could be sent to the sailors deployed at the ship but not materials that could be used to rebuild or reinforce it.

Carpio slammed that part of the agreement on April 1, saying that the lack of repair materials would “cause the warship to sink since it’s rusty already”. His comment followed revelations by Duterte’s ex-spokesman Harry Roque about the agreement last month.

Duterte hit back at Carpio’s criticism of the agreement during his briefing. “What I do not like is even this stupid ex-Justice Carpio is harping on the gentleman’s agreement, of which he was certainly not there.

“It would be good, and it would be healthy for Carpio to shut up and not be bothered by things he was not there for.”

Asked about Duterte’s deal with Xi, political analyst Sherwin Ona told This Week in Asia that Duterte failed to act in the