Marcos: PH rejects claims SCS disputes due to rivalry of 2 'powerful countries'

JAKARTA, Indonesia — President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. on Tuesday issued a strong statement against “misleading narratives” claiming that the disputes in the South China Sea were due to the rivalry of "two powerful countries."

"The Philippines firmly rejects misleading narratives that frame the disputes in the South China Sea solely to the lens of strategic competition between two powerful countries," Marcos said at Intervention during the 43rd ASEAN Summit Retreat Session.

"This not only denies us our independence, our agency, but it also disregards our own legitimate interests," he added.

Although Marcos did not identify the countries he was referring to, it is known that the United States has been one of the Philippines' staunchest and most vocal allies in its territorial dispute with China involving the part of the South China Sea that Manila calls the West Philippine Sea.

China has repeatedly called out the US for what it calls meddling in the South China Sea, particularly with regard to the Philippines’ assertion of sovereignty over the West Philippine Sea.

Marcos also said the Philippines will continue to work with all the countries to foster a rules-based, international order as he lamented that the vision for the South China Sea to be a sea of peace, stability and prosperity “remains a distant reality.”

He likewise told his fellow ASEAN leaders that the Philippines “will continue to uphold, and exercise freedom of navigation and overflight in the South China Sea, in accordance with international law, including of course, the 1982 UNCLOS (United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea).”

“Let me be clear, we do not seek conflict but it is our duty as citizens and as leaders, to always rise and meet any challenge to our sovereignty, to our sovereign rights, and our maritime jurisdiction in the South China Sea. No country would expect any less. No country would do any less,” the Philippine leader said.

“For our part, the Philippines will continue to work with all the countries to foster a rules-based, international order. We remain committed to the peaceful resolution of disputes in the South China Sea, in accordance with international law,” he said.

Marcos also called on fellow ASEAN state leaders to observe self-restraint on all activities that may heighten the disputes in the South China Sea.

“Once more, we call upon all parties for self-restraint on all activities that complicate disputes in the South China Sea. We must not undermine regional peace, stability and security. We cannot emphasize enough that actions, not words, should be the ultimate measure of our commitment of securing peace and stability in the South China Sea,” he said.

In line with this, Marcos sought ASEAN’s support for the operationalization of the practical measures, such as the ADMM Guidelines for Maritime Interaction, which he envisions to be expanded by ASEAN’s external partners in due time.

Marcos was referring to the ASEAN Defense Ministers’ Meeting (ADMM) Guidelines for Maritime Interaction — a joint declaration where ASEAN Defense Ministers agreed to undertake practical measures such as protocols of interaction and direct communication channels to reduce vulnerability to miscalculations and to avoid misunderstanding and undesirable incidents at sea during the 9th ADMM in 2015.

“History will ultimately judge whether the supremacy of the rule of law will prevail, ushering in an era where all nations truly stand as equals, independent and unswayed by any single, outside power,” he said.

“The challenge for us remains: we must never allow the international peaceful order to be subjected to the forces of might, applied for a hegemonic ambition. The future of peace, rest now on how we, together, face this challenge to that peace,” he added.

Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam have been contesting China's massive claim over the South China Sea.

China claims the South China Sea nearly in its entirety, but the arbitral tribunal in The Hague invalidated this claim in July 12, 2016 following a case filed by the Philippines in 2013.

Beijing has ignored and belittled the ruling, insisting it has "indisputable" and "historical" claim over nearly the entire waters even as it encroaches on the territories of its smaller neighbors like the Philippines. —KBK, GMA Integrated News