Dispute on territorial waters remains in a deadlock, says Bongbong Marcos

The situation in the West Philippine Sea is at a deadlock, said President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
PHILIPPINE TERRITORY In this June 2022 photo, a Philippine Navy member displays a Philippine flag during a visit to Sandy Cay, a sandbar just 7.4 kilometers (4 nautical miles) from Pag-asa Island in the West Philippine Sea. A number of Chinese naval ships were in the vicinity during the Navy’s visit. Philippine Daily Inquirer / Marianne Bermudez

TOKYO, Japan — The situation in the West Philippine Sea is in a deadlock, said President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. 

In an interview with Japanese media on Saturday evening, Marcos said that the years long territorial dispute was still at an impasse. 

“We are still at a deadlock right now. It is in a conflict area. So, that’s another thing that we have to try and resolve to see what role any countries play,” Marcos said. 

The President was asked about joint explorations in the West Philippine Sea and the Malampaya gas field. 

READ: Marcos says joint patrols with US have started in West Philippine Sea

Marcos, who had been pushing for renewable energy amid rising oil prices, admitted that the conversion was not easy. 

“But this — the move to renewables, I think we are all discovering  is not as easy as we had hoped and so we need a transition period to give ourselves time to bring the infrastructure and to allow the technologies to develop,” he said. 

READ: Australia deplores China’s ‘pattern of dangerous actions’ in West PH Sea

“It’s imperative for the Philippines to find a way to move the process forward so as to be able to assure ourselves of that transition — the fuel supply during that transition period, he stated,” he added. 

 


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