The agreement between President Duterte and China’s President Xi Jinping allowing Chinese fishermen into the country’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) is not only unconstitutional but also lopsided and could lead to a rapid drop in Philippine fish supply, according to Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio. In a statement on Thursday night, Carpio said Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. was correct in saying there was no record of “the so-called verbal agreement” between the two leaders allowing the Chinese to fish at Recto (Reed) Bank and the Filipinos at Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal. Carpio said such agreement must be rejected since Recto Bank lies within the country’s EEZ, where fish and other resources are reserved exclusively for Filipinos.

Aning, J., Aurelio, J. M., & Chiu, P. D. M. (2019, July 6). Carpio: Duterte-Xi fishing deal unconstitutional and lopsided. Philippine Daily Inquirer, p. A5.