PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. visited on Monday (Philippine time), November 20, 2023, the United States Indo-Pacific Command Headquarters in Honolulu, Hawaii.
Marcos, the first Philippine president to set foot in the oldest and largest of the unified combatant commands, met with the US Indo-Pacific Command led by Admiral John Aquilino.
He said he had a candid exchange with the US Indo-Pacific Command (Indopacom) officials on regional developments and the critical role of the Philippines-US alliance in promoting peace, safeguarding the international law-based order, and ensuring resilient, sustainable, and inclusive growth.
During the Daniel Inouye Speaker Series at the Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies in Honolulu, Marcos maintained that the Philippines will not give up even an inch of its territory amid issues in the West Philippine Sea (WPS).
“As I have said before, and I will say again, the Philippines will not give up a single square inch of our territory to any foreign power. The law is clear as defined by Unclos and the final and binding 2016 Award on the South China Sea Arbitration,” Marcos said.
“Supported by the rules-based international order and our growing partnerships, both time-tested and new ones, we will insist on the preservation of the sovereignty and integrity of the country, while working closely with international partners in the bilateral, regional, and multilateral settings in developing rules and processes to address these challenges,” he added.
Marcos expressed gratitude to the US and other partner countries for their support for the Philippines amid the prevailing tension in the WPS due to the persistent aggression of China which refused to recognize the arbitral ruling invalidating its claim in almost the entire WPS, affirming the rights of the Philippines in the said area.
China has maintained that the Philippines should ask permission first from them before entering the area.
But Marcos said that the Philippines will continue to be a responsible neighbor and will always work to ensure peace, stability, and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific Region.
“It is through working together, guided by the rules-based international order, that we can ensure an environment that will allow our countries and our peoples to prosper. That has been the raison d’être for my foreign policy of peace,” he said.
Aside from partnerships with ally countries, the President also noted the need to upgrade the Philippines’ defense and civilian law enforcement capabilities not only to defend itself but also to enable it to become a reliable partner in regional security.
“That will require greater substantial infusions into funding streams needed for our armed forces and coast guard modernization plans, including lines of effort to enhance cyber cooperation,” he added. (TPM/SunStar Philippines)