President Marcos has urged countries in the Indo-Pacific Region to unite to uphold the equality of nations and reject narratives that impose hierarchy among states.

Marcos said this in his keynote address for the 21st International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore on Friday evening, May 31.

In his speech, the President said nations must not let the ghosts of the past resurface.

"We must reject unjust narratives that seek to subsume distinct national interests [into] so-called 'major country' dynamics, which seek to impose hierarchy amongst nations," he said.

"Those who came before us worked painstakingly throughout the last century to bury the era of spheres of influence and buffer states. We should not allow its ghost to haunt our region once again," he added.

Marcos also called on countries to support the efforts of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to build a rules-based, people-oriented, and people-centered regional community.

"Any state that professes a stake in the continued peace and stability of this region must respect ASEAN Centrality not only with words but with action," he said.

The President said all partnerships and arrangements must uphold and complement ASEAN’s central role, not displace or dilute it.

"So, let us return as well to Manila and reaffirm our common understanding of how international law governs the peaceful settlement of disputes," he said.

"Let us return to San Francisco and reaffirm the sovereign 'equality of all states.' We must reject unjust narratives that seek to subsume distinct national interests [into] so-called 'major country' dynamics, which seek to impose hierarchy amongst nations," he added.

Citing misleading narratives that seek to discredit international legal procedures, President Marcos cited the need to reaffirm these modalities as an expression of good faith, saying they are a service to the progressive development and codification of international law.

"They are never an unfriendly act," he said.