President Rodrigo Roa Duterte PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO/Yancy Lim
MANILA, Philippines鈥擯resident Rodrigo Duterte on Thursday threatened to send to jail those who would file an impeachment case against him over his alleged failure to protect the country鈥檚 territory, especially its exclusive economic zone (EEZ), from Chinese aggression in the West Philippine Sea.
鈥淚-impeach ako? Kulungin ko silang lahat. Subukan niyo. Try to take it, do it, and I will do it,鈥� Duterte told reporters in Malaca帽ang.
Several lawmakers, including former Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario, were one in saying that Duterte may be impeached after he agreed to allow Chinese fishermen to fish in the Philippines鈥� EEZ.
READ: Del Rosario says Duterte can be impeached for not defending territory
According to Del Rosario, the Constitution states that the country鈥檚 EEZ is part of the territory that Duterte must protect.
Del Rosario was referring to Article XII Section 2 of the 1987 Constitution, which says that the government 鈥渟hall protect the nation鈥檚 marine wealth in its archipelagic waters, territorial sea, and exclusive economic zone, and reserve its use and enjoyment exclusively to Filipino citizens.鈥�
Earlier this week Duterte said China can fish along the country鈥檚 EEZ in the West Philippine Sea out of friendship.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 think China would do that (to stop fishing in Philippine territory). Why? Because we鈥檙e friends,鈥� Duterte said on Monday.
READ:
Malaca帽ang earlier argued that the President鈥檚 move is not a ground for impeachment.
鈥淯nder the Constitution, merong provisions ang impeachment. Kung naniniwala sila na may ginawa syang impeachable ground, eh di mag-file鈥� Ano ba ang nakalagay diyan sa culpable violation of Constitution? Like what? Bribery, wala. Graft and corruption, high crimes, ano ang ginawa niya?鈥� Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said in a Palace briefing.
SOB鈥ust try doing it
The President said he is not scared of being impeached over his handling of the incident and his remarks that China cannot be stopped from fishing in the country鈥檚 exclusive economic zone.
鈥淵ou scare me with impeachment, son of a bitch just try doing it. Erap said you will end up losing to me. Just try me, try me. If you are a man and you are brave and have balls, do it, son of a bitch,鈥� Mr. Duterte said on Thursday night.
He added: 鈥淚f not, they are cowards. Do it. I鈥檓 the one sacrificing here鈥� You want me to send soldiers to war and have them killed? How about their families? Will you pay for their pension?鈥�
Mr. Duterte continued: 鈥淭hese fools, they are bright but they are not smart.鈥�
The President made the remarks at the oath-taking of Sen. Christopher Go at Malacanang on Thursday night.
He was asked to comment on his detractors鈥� warning that he may be impeached over his remarks that China will not agree to be prohibited from fishing in the Philippines鈥� EEZ.
On Thursday night, the President maintained that the Philippines does need to give permission for China to fish in the country鈥檚 territorial waters because of its claims to the disputed waters.
鈥淲e do not need to give or disallow China because in the mind of China and everybody else, down to the last soldier and citizen, it is theirs,鈥� Mr. Duterte said.
He added: 鈥淚f I tell China, 鈥楧on鈥檛 do that.鈥� If I tell them not to do that, not to do this, they will do it. And you are there for an embarrassment. That is what these fools want, including (Supreme Court senior associate justice Antonio) Carpio.鈥�
Xi Jinping meeting
The President recalled how he sat down for a talk with Chinese President Xi Jinping to discuss the Philippines鈥� oil exploration in the West Philippine Sea, and how Xi warned him that asserting Manila鈥檚 claims 鈥渃ould mean trouble.鈥�
He said China is willing to share but it was unlikely that it will agree to a 60-40 sharing scheme.
He added that the constitutional provision mandating the protection of the country鈥檚 marine wealth and territorial waters is a 鈥減rovision for the thoughtless and the senseless.鈥�
鈥淭hat is a provision for the thoughtless and the senseless. The protection of our economic rights about the economic zone resolves this? I am protecting the country and 110 million Filipinos,鈥� he said.
Toilet paper
Mr. Duterte added that if he uses the 1987 Constitution to assert the country鈥檚 claims in the South China Sea, he would be only told 鈥渢o use it as toilet paper.鈥�
鈥淚 will go there, tell them to get out, this is the Constitution. They will tell me, you run out of toilet paper, use it. You present to me a Constitution like this and we have this ruckus claiming the same place in our jurisdiction,鈥� he said.
鈥淭hat means war. And that piece of paper, the Constitution, will become meaningless with no spirit except desperation, agony and suffering,鈥� the President continued.
Mr. Duterte told his critics to 鈥渟tay to their books鈥� and 鈥渟cholarly expositions.鈥�
鈥淪cholarly expositions鈥� Don鈥檛 give me that shit. Stay to your books. I have to protect the interest of my country, the very life of the Filipino, 110 million,鈥� he said.
He added that there was no other choice to assert Philippine sovereignty except to go to war.
鈥淎s it is now. Like all the other crisis, World War II, World War I, there was no remedy in sight. But God in His infinite wisdom will find the answer, not to give us the right to allow the slaughter of my countrymen,鈥� he said.
He stressed that unlike China鈥檚 cruise missiles, the Philippines has nothing of the sort.
鈥淲e do not have that, so we shouldn鈥檛 brag. Do not be stupid. Unlike them, I dwell on reality,鈥� the President said./ac