Palace: 'Wishful thinking' that Duterte will resign over West PH Sea row

MANILA - Malacañang said on Monday it was "Wishful thinking" that President Rodrigo Duterte would resign over his remarks on the West Philippine Sea and two former officials. Retired Supreme Court senior associate justice Antonio Carpio last week said Duterte should "Keep his word" to resign for falsely claiming that the former magistrate was involved in China's 2012 seizure of Scarborough Shoal in the West Philippine Sea. The President said he would ask the former justice who ordered the retreat of Philippine vessels from Scarborough shoal, what the Aquino administration did after, and whether or not the Philippines could enforce the 2016 arbitral award that junked Beijing's claims to the waterway. He said he would "Resign immediately" if his statements on the West Philippine Sea are false. Carpio the next day accepted Duterte's debate dare, and said he "Was never involved in the decision to withdraw Philippine Navy ships from the West Philippine Sea during the 2012 Scarborough standoff." Video courtesy of PTV. 2012 STANDOFF. Scarborough Shoal is within the Philippines' exclusive economic zone in the South China Sea and has long been traditional fishing grounds for Philippine fishermen. WHAT DUTERTE SAID. Duterte on Wednesday called the arbitral ruling a piece of "Paper," which he said led to nothing.