Unlike other issues, the West Philippine Sea dispute with China has had the briefest mention in Marcos’ address. He also did not lay down any concrete plans as to how the Philippines would access the maritime territory without his fisher folks facing violent aggression from Chinese authorities. But the embattled president stood his ground: the disputed maritime region is a Philippine territory. What now?
MANILA, Philippines — Despite no concrete solutions mentioned to stop the friction between China and the Philippines in the disputed waters, President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. said Monday that the maritime area is not a figment of the imagination and will remain a Philippine territory.
“Ang West Philippine Sea ay hindi kathang-isip natin lamang. Ito ay atin. At ito ay mananatiling atin, hangga’t nag-aalab ang diwa ng ating minamahal na bansang Pilipinas,” he said in his third State of the Nation Address (SONA) at the Batasang Pambansa.
Without dropping the anchor straight to China, Marcos said the Philippines will “continuously try to find ways to de-escalate tensions in contested areas with our counterparts without compromising our position and our principles.”
“The Philippines cannot yield, the Philippines cannot waver,” Marcos said.
This remark also received a standing ovation from the lawmakers despite having a lesser mention in Marcos’ address to the nation.
According to the chief executive, the Philippines will enhance and broaden national awareness and knowledge about the issue to ensure that it is conveyed to the youth and future generations.
To help Filipinos better understand their maritime rights, Marcos said pending measures like the Maritime Zones Act and the Archipelagic Sea Lanes Act would help make sure public awareness about the West Philippine Sea stays with future generations.
Additionally, the Philippines has strengthened its defense agreement with several countries including the country’s long-time allies United States, France, Australia, and recently, with Japan where the Philippines signed an agreement with its former colonizers to station soldiers within the territories of two nations.
“We are continuing to strengthen our defensive posture both through developing self-reliance and through partnerships with like-minded states,” he said.
However, the president did not provide exact solutions to the frequent aggressions from Beijing and how Filipino fishers can access the maritime territory without clashing with Chinese men but he proceeded to thank the uniformed personnel and Filipino fishermen for their “vigilance and sacrifices.”
Last June 17, the Philippines confronted one of the most violent skirmishes with the China Coast Guard while Philippine authorities are conducting rotation and resupply (RORE) missions to the BRP Sierra Madre in Ayungin Shoal.
This attack was only a part of the deep-seated maritime conflict with China despite the 2016 Hague-based Permanent Court of Arbitration ruling in favor of the Philippines. Despite the arbitral ruling, Beijing has consistently dismissed the right of the Philippines to access the West Philippine Sea which resulted in a series of attacks and harassment from China.
The pact
Just a day before the state address, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said the Philippines and China had reached an agreement on the resupply missions of Manila in Ayungin.
In a statement, the foreign affairs department said the two countries “will not prejudice each other’s positions in the South China Sea.”
The two countries said they acknowledged the need to “de-escalate tensions” in the disputed maritime region and to manage their differences through dialogue and consultation.
“The Philippines and the People’s Republic of China have reached an understanding on the provisional arrangement for the resupply of daily necessities and rotation missions to the BRP Sierra Madre in Ayungin Shoal,” the DFA said following the 9th Bilateral Consultation Mechanism on the South China Sea in Manila on July 2.
