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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider House has PBBM's back in defending Philippine territory--Romualdez 

House has PBBM's back in defending Philippine territory--Romualdez 

Published Mar 5, 2024 05:46 am

At A Glance

  • Speaker Martin Romualdez says the House of Representatives is firmly behind President Marcos' commitment to protecting the country's territorial integrity. 

20240305_133921.jpgHouse Speaker Martin Romualdez (left), President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. (Speaker’s office, MANILA BULLETIN

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Speaker Martin Romualdez says the House of Representatives is firmly behind President Marcos' commitment to protecting the country's territorial integrity. 

"We stand united in support of President Marcos, Jr.'s firm resolve to enhance our defense capabilities to uphold our country’s sovereignty and protect our national interest in the West Philippine Sea (WPS)," Romualdez said Tuesday, March 5. 

"The House of Representatives is solidly behind his decisive leadership and unwavering commitment to safeguarding our sovereignty and territorial integrity," he stressed. 

The Speaker issued the statement following reports of a collision between a Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) vessel and a bigger China Coast Guard (CCG) ship in the WPS on Tuesday morning. 

At that time, the PCG vessel was serving as escort of the rotation and reprovisioning mission of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) to the grounded BRP Sierra Madre in Ayungin Shoal. 

In his keynote address at the Lowly Institute in Melbourne, Australia, President Marcos said the Philippines will continue to upgrade the capabilities of the PCG and pursue the modernization of the AFP in line with his pronouncement that the Philippines shall never surrender even a square inch of its territory and maritime jurisdiction to any country. 

“The House of Representatives pledges its full cooperation in the legislative process to ensure the timely implementation of measures to strengthen the Philippine Coast Guard and modernize the AFP to bolster our country's defense posture in the face of emerging challenges,” said Romualdez, who is part of the President’s official delegation to the ASEAN-Australia Special Summit. 

President Marcos added that the Philippines will continue to adhere to the 2002 ASEAN-China Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea, and will remain committed to working with ASEAN and China towards an effective and substantive Code of Conduct (COC) based on UNCLOS (United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea). 

“I am deeply concerned about this recent development in connection with the territorial dispute between our nation and China. The stability and prosperity of our region rely heavily on the principles of diplomacy and adherence to the rules-based order,” Romualdez said. 

“The Philippines remains committed to pursuing diplomatic channels to address this issue and seeks to foster a relationship with China based on mutual respect and cooperation. We believe that by working together in a spirit of goodwill, we can achieve a peaceful and equitable resolution to our territorial dispute,” he added. 

ASEAN stands for Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
 

Related Tags

Martin Romualdez West Philippine Sea President Marcos
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