Marcos assures Filipinos PH will not give up its territories

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. delivers a joint statement during the visit of Indonesian President Joko Widodo at the Malacanang Palace, in Manila, Philippines, January 10, 2024. Ezra Acayan/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo

BERLIN, Germany – President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Tuesday night assured Filipinos here that he will not yield any part of the Philippines’ territory to other nations amid the ongoing row over the South China Sea.

Hours after he questioned China’s premise in its proposals to resolve the territorial dispute, Marcos raised the South China Sea issue in his meeting with the Filipino community here.

The President noted that Germany has always been a “strong supporter” of the Philippines in its quest “to keep the waters in the South China Sea open, secure and peaceful.”

He added that the Philippines and Germany “both adhere to the rules-based order and seek the cooperation of all nations to abide by the principles of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.”

“We are having problems with other nations which are claiming our territories as theirs. But you can be assured that we will not let that happen, because it is very clear that it is part of the Philippines,” Mr. Marcos said, referring to the West Philippine Sea that is within the country’s exclusive economic zone.

He did not mention the specific country that he was referring to in his speech before the Filipino community event at the Ritz Carlton here.

READ: Marcos seeks to expand ties with Germany to include maritime

Hours earlier, the President questioned China’s 10-dash line as a premise in its assertion of ownership of the South China Sea.

In a joint press conference with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz at The Chancellery on Tuesday afternoon, he stressed that China’s 10-dash line claim is not recognized by any country.

Mr. Marcos said the Philippines did not junk any proposition by China but questioned the basis of its proposals to find a resolution to the territorial dispute.

Beijing has refused to recognize the 2016 arbitral ruling that junked its nine-dash line claim in the South China Sea and favored Manila’s claim over the West Philippine Sea.

In recent months, the China Coast Guard and even China’s naval forces figured in acts of aggression and harassment against ships of the Philippine Coast Guard and Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources conducting resupply missions in the West Philippine Sea.