Romualdez backs PBBM's pro-peace stance on China issue as ASEAN Summit continues
At A Glance
- House Speaker Martin Romualdez had hailed President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr.'s pro-peace stance on the South China Sea issue.
- Romualdez is part of Marcos' official delegation in the ongoing 43rd Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit and Related Summits in Jakarta, Indonesia.

House Speaker Martin Romualdez (Speaker’s office)
House Speaker Martin Romualdez had hailed President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr.'s pro-peace stance on the South China Sea issue.
“The President’s stance on a rules-based approach in settling the South China Sea territorial disputes underlines our commitment to international law, particularly the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS),” Romualdez said in a statement sent to Manila-based reporters Wednesday, Sept. 6.
Romualdez is part of Marcos' official delegation in the ongoing 43rd Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit and Related Summits in Jakarta, Indonesia.
In his intervention at the retreat session President Marcos said it was imperative for ASEAN to leverage its regional architecture “to serve as a diplomatic bridge that promotes mutual understanding, strategic trust, and peaceful settlement of disputes".
The summit is being hosted by Indonesia just a few weeks after China published a new map depicting its now more expansive claim over the South China Sea.
“A united ASEAN working together for the observance of rules-based order in the South China Sea can exert considerable influence towards peaceful and diplomatic settlement of disputes which would be mutually beneficial for all concerned,” Romualdez said.
“By reiterating this stand in the ASEAN forum, we are emphasizing the importance of peaceful dialogue and negotiations, ensuring that our sovereign rights are recognized and respected,” he added.
The leader of the Philippine House of Representatives said this could also push the momentum to achieve progress in the negotiations for the Code of Conduct (COC) in the South China Sea.
The Philippines, along with fellow ASEAN members Malaysia and Vietnam, as well as India, has voiced strong objections over China’s new standard map.