A retired Supreme Court justice and a former diplomat have urged the government to lodge a diplomatic protest against China for establishing two districts in Hainan province. Former Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio and former Ambassador Albert del Rosario said the province would have territorial jurisdiction over the disputed South China Sea where the Philippines and neighboring Southeast Asia nations have overlapping claims. Carpio and Del Rosario played vital roles in securing a historic judgment against China at the Permanent Court of Arbitration in 2016. “DFA (Department of Foreign Affairs) should protest because Fiery Cross (Kagitingan) Reef is part of our Kalayaan Island Group. Vietnam already protested. If we do not protest, China will later claim we acquiesced,” Carpio said.

Requejo, R. E. (2020, April 21). ‘Protest new Sino claims in WPS‘. Manila Standard, p. A2.