Marcos: ASEAN must never allow int'l order to be challenged by 'hegemonic ambitions' in SCS

JAKARTA, Indonesia — President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. called on his fellow Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) state heads not to allow international order to be challenged by any “hegemonic ambition” in the South China Sea (SCS).

“History will ultimately judge whether the supremacy of the rule of law will prevail, ushering in an era where all nations truly stand as equals, independent and unswayed by any single, outside power,” Marcos said in his intervention during the 43rd ASEAN Summit Retreat Session.

“The challenge for us remains: we must never allow the international peaceful order to be subjected to the forces of might, applied for a hegemonic ambition. The future of peace rests now on how we, together, face this challenge to that peace," he added.

Marcos made the appeal after he called out “misleading narratives that frame the disputes in the SCS solely to the lens of strategic competition between two powerful countries.”

"The Philippines firmly rejects misleading narratives that frame the disputes in the South China Sea solely to the lens of strategic competition between two powerful countries," Marcos said at Intervention during the 43rd ASEAN Summit Retreat Session.

“This not only denies us our independence, our agency, but it also disregards our own legitimate interests," he said.

The Philippines will continue to work with all the countries to foster a rules-based, international order, Marcos said as he lamented that the vision for the SCS to be a sea of peace, stability and prosperity “remains a distant reality.”

He added that the Philippines “will continue to uphold, and exercise freedom of navigation and overflight in the South China Sea, in accordance with international law, including of course, the 1982 UNCLOS (United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea).”

“Let me be clear, we do not seek conflict but it is our duty as citizens and as leaders, to always rise and meet any challenge to our sovereignty, to our sovereign rights, and our maritime jurisdiction in the South China Sea. No country would expect any less. No country would do any less,” the Philippine leader said.

Marcos also called on fellow ASEAN state leaders to observe self-restraint on all activities that may heighten the disputes in the SCS.

“We must not undermine regional peace, stability and security. We cannot emphasize enough that actions, not words, should be the ultimate measure of our commitment of securing peace and stability in the South China Sea,” he said.

In line with this, Marcos sought ASEAN’s support for the operationalization of practical measures, such as the ADMM Guidelines for Maritime Interaction, which he envisions to be expanded by ASEAN’s external partners in due time.

Marcos was referring to the ASEAN Defense Ministers’ Meeting (ADMM) Guidelines for Maritime Interaction — a joint declaration where ASEAN Defense Ministers agreed to undertake practical measures such as protocols of interaction and direct communication channels to reduce vulnerability to miscalculations and to avoid misunderstanding and undesirable incidents at sea during the 9th ADMM in 2015. —KG, GMA Integrated News