By HENRY EMPEÑO

OLONGAPO CITY — Lawyers from Zambales have joined the call for President Duterte to take back his public statements that the People’s Republic of China is in possession of the West Philippine Sea (WPS) and that the arbitral award won by the Philippines was a mere scrap of paper fit for the wastebasket.

In a statement of concern posted on social media, members of the Zambales chapter of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP-Zambales) pointed out that the President has a duty to defend the Constitution and protect the country’s territory and the nation’s marine resources.

President Duterte has received criticism lately after he publicly stated that China now possesses the West Philippine Sea and that the favorable ruling for the Philippines from the special arbitral tribunal on the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) in July 2016 amounted to nothing.

“When a part of our country’s territory is taken against our will by the People’s Republic of China and our countrymen, particularly the fishermen, are threatened with force from exclusively enjoying our country’s marine resources, the President is solemnly bound to uphold, defend and protect his countrymen and the integrity of our national territory,” the Zambales lawyers said.

Calling the President’s recent statements “defeatist”, BPI-Zambales urged Duterte to retract his statements and to “categorically, demonstrably and publicly uphold the mandate of our Philippine Constitution.”

They added that the government is duty-bound to protect the nation’s marine wealth in its archipelagic waters, territorial sea, and exclusive economic zone, and reserve their use and enjoyment exclusively to Filipino citizens.

The statement from IBP-Zambales came in the heels of similar calls for Duterte’s retraction. These include one from 125 alumni of San Beda University, the President’s alma mater, who issued a “fraternal statement of concern” last Sunday.

Retired Supreme Court Justice Antonio Carpio on Monday also called for President Duterte to retract his “dangerous” statements on the West Philippine Sea issue.

The statement issued by IBP-Zambales was signed by 30 of its members. These include chapter president Atty. Winston Mayo Ginez, Zambales board members Renato Collado and Samuel Ablola, Olongapo City councilor Alreula Bundang-Ortiz, and former IBP-Zambales presidents Deo Amor David, Josefina Bueno, and Jacklyn Hanna P. Devilla.

Former Zambales board member Eric Ebarle, who is among the signatories, said their group will circulate the statement in the community, especially among fisherfolk, to make residents aware of the issue.

Zambales, which is a coastal province, is just 124 nautical miles from Bajo de Masinloc or Scarborough Shoal, one of the contested features in the West Philippine Sea that China has occupied.

Local fishers say that Chinese militia vessels had shooed they away from the shoal since 2014. The shoal was a traditional fishing ground for locals and also served as a safe refuge for them during storms at sea. ~