LABUAN BAJO, Indonesia — The Philippines is committed to implementing the Declaration of the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC) and the early conclusion of an effective and substantive Code of Conduct (COC) in the South China Sea, President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. said.

President Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr. (Malacañang photo)

Marcos said this during his intervention at the 42nd Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit Retreat Session here on Thursday, May 11.

According to the President, the Philippines will continue urging all parties to abide by the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), saying the ASEAN must ensure that the South China Sea does not become a nexus for armed conflict.

"We must avoid the ascendance of might and the aggressive revision of the international order. In an increasingly volatile world, we require constraints on power contained by the force of the rule of law," he said.

President Marcos said that, as an archipelagic maritime nation, the Philippines advocates a rules-based maritime order anchored on the 1982 UNCLOS.

He raised the country's concern over recent incidents in the South China Sea, in particular the infringements on its sovereignty, sovereign rights, and jurisdiction, which have been affecting fisherfolk and coastal communities.

"Despite the continued incidents of Filipino vessels in our waters and attempts to deny and obstruct our ability to exercise our sovereign rights in our Exclusive Economic Zone, the Philippines will remain firm in upholding and protecting our entitlements under UNCLOS," Marcos said.

Tension in Myanmar, Korea

Meanwhile, President Marcos called for the utmost restraint and immediate cessation of violence in Myanmar and expressed concern over the heightened tension in the Korean Peninsula, and the humanitarian crisis and the continuing economic impact caused by the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

"We continue to call on Myanmar to abide by and implement the Five-Point Consensus and for our external partners to complement ASEAN's efforts in the context of the Five-Point Consensus," Marcos said, expressing the Philippines' full support to Indonesia's initiatives on the implementation of the Five-Point Consensus.

"The Philippines consistently underscores the need for the DPRK (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) to abide by prevailing UN Security Council Resolutions and to engage in dialogue with concerned parties towards the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula," Marcos said.

In terms of the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict and its possible escalation through nuclear weapons, President Marcos urged the countries concerned to search for a peaceful resolution to the conflict.