JAKARTA, Indonesia — Despite peace and stability being a "distant reality," President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. has urged all parties to exercise self-restraint on all activities that would complicate the ongoing dispute in the South China Sea.

Marcos said this in his intervention during the Retreat Session of the 43rd Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) here on Tuesday, Sept. 5.

In his remarks, the President admitted that the realization of the country's vision for a peaceful South China Sea will take time.

"Our vision for the South China Sea is a sea of peace, stability, and prosperity. Today, sadly, this remains a distant reality," he said.

Despite this, Marcos urged the parties involved to not escalate the tensions in the disputed waters.

"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," he said.

"We cannot emphasize enough that actions, not words, should be the ultimate measure of our commitment to securing peace and stability in the South China Sea. Anything else simply does not suffice," he added.

For its part, the President said the Philippines will continue working with all 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.

"We 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)," he added.

However, Marcos rejected the notion that the South China Sea issue is merely a showdown between 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," he said.

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

The President reiterated that the Philippines is not looking for conflict but is only protecting its rights.

"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," he said.

"No country would expect any less. No country would do any less," he added.

President Marcos said he was pleased that the Philippines hosted the second ASEAN multilateral naval exercise of Zambales and Bataan, and the 40th meeting of the JWD-DOC in Manila to expedite the negotiations for substantive and effective code of conduct in the South China Sea.