Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 28) — The government's top lawyer is asking the Supreme Court to bar Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio from taking part in its deliberations on the case filed by lawyers and fishermen seeking a writ of kalikasan to compel government officials to protect the West Philippine Sea.

The Office of the Solicitor General on Friday said Carpio, a vocal critic of the administration's policies on the South China Sea dispute, should inhibit from the proceedings because of his "personal bias and manifest partiality."

“Justice Carpio’s participation before the South China Sea Arbitral Tribunal and knowledge of the facts and issues therein, coupled with his personal pronouncements and issuances leads to the impression he has already reached a conclusion and prejudged this case, even before the petitioners can present their case,” Solicitor General Jose C. Calida said in a statement.

Carpio was part of the Philippine delegation to the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague that argued for and won the country's case against Beijing in July 2016. This landmark decision recognized the Philippines' sovereign rights to some areas in its 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone (EEZ) in the South China Sea, which the government calls West Philippine Sea.

In the motion filed on Thursday, Calida argued that Carpio has shown "a penchant for projecting a foreign policy regardless of its alignment with the policies of the current administration.”

He said the Supreme Court Justice could not architect the country's foreign policy because that is the job of the President.

President Rodrigo Duterte recently hit back at Carpio – calling him "stupid" – after the justice called out his decision to enter into an agreement allowing China to fish in the country's EEZ. Carpio said the move was unconstitutional, noting that the Constitution says Filipinos should have exclusive rights to enjoy the country's natural resources.

In their petition for a writ of kalikasan, lawyers and fishermen from Palawan and Zambales said China's artificial island building activities heavily damaged reefs in the West Philippine Sea, saying it's about time the Duterte government did something about it.