The Philippines can still assert its sovereign rights over its territories in the South China Sea without going to war, retired Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio said Tuesday. "Vietnam, Malaysia and Indonesia are asserting their sovereign rights to their maritime zones against China’s claims," Carpio said in reaction to President Rodrigo Duterte’s remarks during his fifth State of the Nation Address on Monday. Meanwhile, Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. asked the United States Embassy in the Philippines to rectify its statement that referred to Sabah as part of Malaysia in a Twitter post about Filipino repatriates.

Requejo, R. E. (2020, July 29). Carpio: No to war, but assert rights on SCS. Manila Standard, pp. A1, A2.