By Dean Aubrey Caratiquet
“We are respectful, and we are dignified. We are Filipinos, and we do not yield.”
Not leaving any stone unturned, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. capped off his entire State of the Nation Address (SONA) on Monday by focusing on one of the more pressing issues that have plagued the Philippines in recent memory.
China’s aggression in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) continued to escalate in scale and intensity, with the incident in Ayungin Shoal, where China Coast Guard personnel mauled Philippine Navy contingents aboard a rigid-hull inflatable boat (RHIB) near BRP Sierra Madre, serving as the latest episode in this perennial saga.
As if that was not bad enough, Chinese state media released an AI-generated video depicting Filipinos as ‘monkeys,’ upping the ante of insults being dished against Filipinos as a race.
It was in the context of these recent developments that the President reaffirmed the government’s resolve in upholding the final and binding 2016 Arbitral Award, which dismisses China’s nine-dash line claim over several islands and features in the WPS.
Moreover, this historical ruling recognizes the guidelines set forth by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and recognizes the Philippines’ territorial and sovereign rights over the Kalayaan Island Group and other islands within the country’s exclusive economic zone.
President Marcos Jr. addressed Filipinos in his speech, “Your government will do all that is necessary to continue upholding this Award, utilizing every peaceful and legal means available to the Republic against any attempt, foreign or domestic, to undermine this achievement.”
The Chief Executive wrapped up by expressing his utmost respect for the Armed Forces, the Coast Guard, and the fisherfolk who continue to face these threats head-on and maintain their composure in the face of adversity, urging the citizenry to rally behind their backs in support of protecting what belongs to the Motherland.
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