Marcos: PH will not resort to force or intimidation in WPS

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Sunday said the country will not use force or intimidation or deliberately inflict injury or harm to anyone amid tensions in the West Philippine Sea (WPS).

"In the performance of our duties, we will not resort to the use of force or intimidation, or deliberately inflict injury or harm to anyone," Marcos said during the Talk To Troops at the Western Command Headquarters in Camp General Artemio Ricarte in Puerto Princesa City, Palawan.

"We are not in the business to instigate wars — our great ambition is to provide a peaceful and prosperous life for every Filipino. This is the drum beat — this is the principle that we live by, that we march by," he added.

Marcos visited the Western Command headquarters a week after Philippine forces on a rotation and reprovisioning (RORE) mission to the BRP Sierra Madre at Ayungin Shoal in WPS were met with aggressive actions from the China Coast Guard.

The Armed Forces of the Philippines said a Philippine Navy servicemember, later identified as Seaman First Class Underwater Operator Jeffrey Facundo, was severely injured and six other Navy men were hurt during the "intentional high-speed ramming" by CCG on June 17.

Marcos commended the 80 soldiers who took part in the June 17 RORE mission.

He conferred the Order of Lapu-Lapu Rank of Kampilan on Facundo, and the Order of Lapu-Lapu Rank of Kamagi to 79 other military personnel who took part in the mission.

Marcos said he felt "great relief" to see the soldiers "all back in home ground, safe and sound."

"The past few weeks have been nothing short of challenges — you can even say dangerous. Despite these challenges, you have stood up and upheld the fundamental principles that binds all of us Filipinos. A mutual respect for life, for dignity, and for community," he said.

Marcos said he is proud of the brave women and men not just of the Western Command but the entire Armed Forces.

"I salute the eighty officers and troops who sailed the waters and exercised the greatest restraint amidst intense provocation. You demonstrated to the world that the Filipino spirit is one that is brave, determined, and yet is compassionate," he said.

Marcos then urged the soldiers to continue with their duty to defend the nation.

"So, on behalf of the Filipino nation, I make this great request of you: continue to fulfill your duty of defending the nation with integrity and respect as you have done so far," he said.

"We refuse to play by the rules that force us to choose sides in a great power competition. No government that truly exists in the service of the people would invite danger or harm to lives and livelihood," Marcos added.

"And that is why, in defending the nation, we stay true to our Filipino nature that we would like to settle all these issues peacefully," he said

Marcos enjoined the soldiers to "stand firm". "Our calm and peaceful disposition should not be mistaken for acquiescence."

"History itself can tell that we have never, never in the history of Philippines, yielded to any foreign power," he said, adding that "we owe to our forefathers the duty to keep the freedoms that they fought, bled, and died for, and that we presently enjoy."

"Kailanman ay hindi tayo magpapa-supil at magpapa-api kahit na kanino man," the President said.

(We have never allowed ourselves to submit to and be oppressed by anyone.)

"The Philippines is a responsible state. We will continue to exercise our freedoms and rights in support of our national interest, in accordance with international law," Marcos said.

"Let us continue to chart the destiny of our nation as that is what we are doing now. We are charting the destiny of the Philippines, one that is strengthened by diversity and united in our quest for peace," the President said.

On Monday, China Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning responded, "The Philippines—if it would truly act in accordance with international law—should first and foremost observe the treaties that define its territory, including the 1898 Treaty of Peace between the United States of America and the Kingdom of Spain, and abide by the DOC.

"Our message to the Philippines is very clear: Stop infringing on China’s rights and making provocations, and stop misleading the world."

The Ayungin Shoal (Second Thomas Shoal) — called Ren’ai Reef by China — is a submerged reef in the Spratly Islands, which is a group of more than 100 islands and reefs in the South China Sea.

It is located 105 nautical miles west of Palawan and is within the country’s 200-mile exclusive economic zone (EEZ) and is part of its continental shelf.

Near the shores of Ayungin is a Philippine Navy vessel called the BRP Sierra Madre, which supposedly ran aground in 1999. The ship has become a symbol of Philippine sovereignty in the offshore territory.

The government regularly conducts RORE missions to provide food and other supplies to the soldiers stationed on the BRP Sierra Madre.

China alleged that the Philippine government earlier agreed to remove the aging ship, and later on said a "new model" for managing the situation at Ayungin Shoal was reached. Philippine Navy spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea Commodore Roy Vincent Trinidad however said the issue on China’s supposed new model agreement with the Philippines is a “dead story.”

China claims almost the entire South China Sea, a conduit for more than $3 trillion of annual ship-borne commerce, including parts claimed by the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei.

This despite an arbitral ruling that invalidated its massive claims in the resource-rich area. Beijing has ignored the ruling and instead continued to strengthen its presence, including its aggressive actions, in the region. —KG, GMA Integrated News