Marcos: No shift in PH stance on asserting sovereignty in WPS

There is no shift in the Philippines' stance as regards asserting the country's sovereignty in the West Philippine Sea, President Ferdinand ''Bongbong'' Marcos Jr. said Friday. 

In an interview with GMA Integrated News, Marcos was asked if there was a shift in the administration's tone as he mentioned during his last State of the Nation Address (SONA 2025) that ''The Philippines is a friend to all. The Philippines is an enemy to none.”

Previously, Marcos emphasized that the government would never give up a single inch of its territory to foreign aggressors. 

''There is no shift in tone. My first interview na tinanong ako anong foreign policy natin lalo na sa China, and that was my answer. Hindi naman nagbabago because continuing to defend strongly our territory is not mutually exclusive from being a friend to all and an enemy of none,'' Marcos said. 

(There is no shift in tone. During my first interview that I was asked about our foreign policy, especially as regards to China, that was my answer. It did not change because continuing to defend strongly our territory is not mutually exclusive from being a friend to all and an enemy of none.)

''Wala naman talaga tayong kinakalaban eh. Lahat naman kinakaibigan natin pero ipagtatanggol natin ang soberanya ng Pilipinas, ipagtatanggol natin ang teritoryo ng Pilipinas. You can do both, you don't have to choose one or the other,'' he added. 

(We are not fighting with anyone. We treat everyone as our friend but we will assert the Philippines' sovereignty. We will fight for our territory. You can do both, you don't have to choose one or the other.)

In his SONA, Marcos said defending the Philippines' rights would be heightened. However, the Philippine government would remain ''patient'' in protecting the country's rights. 

Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin already clarified that the government’s stance on issues in the West Philippine Sea remains constant as Marcos will still not welcome China’s aggression in the region. 

Meanwhile, Marcos said the Philippines would try to take more concrete steps in pushing for the conclusion of the Code of Conduct on the South China Sea as Manila will host the ASEAN Summit and Related Summits next year. 

Hostilities in the region will be avoided once the Code of Conduct is adopted, Marcos said. 

''So that's why it is very, very important. And it's very important to the Philippines because ang pinakamainit na lugar sa West Philippine Sea ay dito sa banda sa atin. Kaya mahalaga sa atin na magkaroon tayo ng Code of Conduct,'' Marcos said. 

(It's very important to the Philippines because the hottest topic is near us so it's important to have a Code of Conduct.) 

Keeping lines of communication open

Asked about the continued atrocities of China in the region despite diplomatic protests lodged by the Philippine government, Marcos said ''we can only control what we do.''

''We cannot control what other countries do. But we keep our lines of communication. Once the lines of communication are closed, then there's no room for improvement. That's why we keep the lines of communication open,'' Marcos said.

''We have to keep on trying. We have to keep those lines of communication open,'' he added.

Tensions continue as Beijing claims almost all of the South China Sea, a conduit for more than $3 trillion of annual shipborne commerce, including parts claimed by the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Brunei.

In 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration in the Hague ruled in favor of the Philippines over China's claims in the South China Sea, saying that it had "no legal basis."

However, China has refused to recognize the ruling. — RSJ, GMA Integrated News