Militants hit Carpio for “US puppetry”

ANGELES CITY- Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio is under fire from militants for his call for the government to invoke the US-Philippines Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT) in case Philippine vessels are attacked by Chinese forces in the South China Sea.

In a statement yesterday, the Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipiinas (Pamalakaya) said “ Carpio must learn from the past as Washington has always left the country hanging during the trying times despite existing military pacts.”

It said Carpio’s position on the territorial dispute with China as mere “puppetry and subservience to the US.”

“His invoking US intervention might just escalate the tension with China instead of allowing for the resolution of the dispute in a peaceful and diplomatic manner,” said Pamalakaya chairman Fernando Hicap.

Pamalakaya said “Carpio’s steadfast stand against Chinese incursion is highly notable, but that doesn’t make him a patriot when his response to foreign intervention is another foreign meddling that could also compromise our sovereignty.”

“Those unfair U.S.-RP military treaties like the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) and Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) deserve to be repealed,” Hicap said.