By Prince Golez
The Philippines will not surrender any territory amid its longstanding dispute with China in the West Philippine Sea (WPS), President Ferdinand Marcos reiterated Monday.
During the Daniel Inouye Speaker Series at the Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies in Honolulu, Marcos Jr. said the country will continue to preserve rules-based international order and strengthen alliances with its partners.
“As I have said before, and I will say again, the Philippines will not give up a single square inch of our territory to any foreign power. The law is clear as defined by UNCLOS and the final and binding 2016 Award on the South China Sea Arbitration,” according to the President.
“Supported by the rules-based international order and our growing partnerships, both time-tested and new ones, we will insist on the preservation of the sovereignty and integrity of the country, while working closely with international partners in the bilateral, regional, and multilateral settings in developing rules and processes to address these challenges,” he added.
Marcos Jr. also expressed gratitude for concrete manifestations of the United States and other partners’ support for the Philippines’ position.
Factual messaging in support of lawful exercise of rights under international law demonstrates the strength of the alliances, he furthered.
Meanwhile, the Chief Executive raised the need to upgrade the Philippine defense and civilian law enforcement capabilities not only to defend itself but also to become a reliable partner in regional security.
“That will require greater substantial infusions into funding streams needed for our armed forces and coast guard modernization plans, including lines of effort to enhance cyber cooperation,” he concluded.
