Marcos: Philippines won't back down in sea dispute

The Philippines will assert its rights in the South China Sea, despite a deal with Beijing to avoid confrontations in the area, said President Ferdinand Marcos Jr on Monday, dpa reported.

“The Philippines cannot yield. The Philippines cannot waver,” Marcos said to thunderous applause and a standing ovation during his annual state of the nation address before congress.

“The West Philippine Sea is not just a figment of our imagination,” he said, referring to the area by its local name. “It is ours. And it will remain ours, as long as the spirit of our beloved country the Philippines burns.”

Marcos’ statement came a day after the Philippines’ Department of Foreign Affairs announced that Manila and Beijing agreed on a “provisional arrangement” on how the Philippines can send supplies to its troops at the BRP Sierra Madre in Second Thomas Shoal, locally called Ayungin Shoal.

No details have been released, but the department stressed that the deal did not compromise national positions.

China has been aggressively blocking the Philippines’ resupply missions to the shoal, which lies 195km west of the Philippine province of Palawan and is within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone.

The Philippines ran aground the BRP Sierra Madre, a dilapidated navy ship, in the shoal in 1999 to mark the country’s claim to the area. Philippine troops are stationed at the rusting wreck.

- Bernama

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