Will Duterte jetski to ‘Albert rock’ and ‘Tony rock’?

Speaking before international and maritime law experts in his capacity as the government’s chief legal counsel at a UP forum on Friday, July 15, Solicitor General Jose Calida talked diplomacy and recognized the high-caliber team formed by the previous administration in the Philippine case against China.

But Calida being Calida, the lawyer made his own pitch: to name some “rocks” in the West Philippine Sea after the two senior members of the panel.

Because of their “unsung heroism,” Calida said, referring to former foreign secretary Albert del Rosario and Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio, “I will look for the biggest island in the West Philippine Sea, the biggest rock, and rename it as Albert rock in honor of Secretary Del Rosario.”

Then, he added: “And I will search for the next biggest rock to be named Tony rock in honor of Senior Associate Justice Carpio.” 

Laughter filled the room packed with top-notch lawyers and diplomats.

Calida then went for the punchline: “These gentlemen, they truly rock.”

If his audience wanted to LOL over that one, they didn’t show it.

To be honest, we were just too thankful that Calida didn’t promise to ask his principal, President Rodrigo Duterte to “jetski” to these “rocks.”

Recall that Duterte said in one of the election campaign debates that he would “jetski” to the West Philippine Sea to drive home a point for our sovereignty. Well, if we can rename rocks, surely we can defy travel protocols over the West Philippine Sea? – Rappler.com