By Prince Golez
The Philippines will not abandon its territorial claims in the contentious South China Sea (SCS), President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said Tuesday.
“We cannot concede any of the territorial claims that are being made against our established territory. That is the red line,” Marcos Jr. said in an interview with Bloomberg on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
“That is something that will not move. It’s something that we cannot cross because it’s a very slippery road from there,” he added.
The President acknowledged that breaking the stalemate between the Philippines and China would be “difficult” because both countries are reluctant to relinquish their claims.
“That’s a difficult thing to have to do because the impasse, really, has occurred in the application of the law. Both sides say that this area belongs — we say it is the maritime territory of the Philippines, and, of course, China says the same,” said Marcos Jr.
The Chief Executive said the Philippines and China still have several options for resolving the SCS disputes, citing the possible joint oil and gas exploration in the sea region.
“We may find a way around that, it’d be limited to exploration. Hopefully, I think there’s still some give-and-take there,” according to him.
Meanwhile, Marcos Jr. stated that the United States has pledged to assist the Philippines if tensions in the SCS escalate.
He hoped, however, that the US role would be limited to establishing a presence in the disputed waters.
“They have already made that commitment. As a matter of fact, when there are certain reports that come in, some of the American ships come down and make their presence felt. So, we’re hoping to maintain it at that level,” the Chief Executive said.
