President Marcos has said it very clear: The West Philippine Sea is not an imagination. It belongs to the Philippines.
Amid the continued and the worsening aggression that Filipino troops and fishermen face in the waters, Marcos on Monday, July 22, took the podium during his third State of the Nation Address (SONA) to assert the Philippines' territorial sovereignty over the West Philippine Sea.
"Ang West Philippine Sea ay hindi kathang isip lamang. Ito ay atin (The West Philippine Sea is not an imagination. This is ours)," he said as China, despite international law and the arbitral ruling, continues to claim the West Philippine Sea to be its own.
The President's pronouncement was powerful that it received a round of applause and a standing ovation from his audience composed of his Cabinet members, senators, congressmen, other government officials and members of the diplomatic corps, among others, at the Batasang Pambansa.
In his first SONA in 2022, Marcos already manifested an unmovable stand regarding the country's position over the West Philippine Sea. Two years ago, he said he would not surrender even an inch of Philippine territory.
The President said the Philippines will not bow down to the challenges in the waters, but he assured that he would do that it a "fair" and "pacific way" like what it had done in the past.
"The Philippines cannot yield. The Philippines cannot waver," he said.
Although Filipinos had started experiencing physical aggression, especially from China, amid the Philippines' fight for sovereignty over the West Philippine Sea, Marcos said Manila remains committed to diplomacy.
"Proper diplomatic channels and mechanisms under the rules-based international order remain the only acceptable means of settling disputes," he said.
He said that peace and community-building will be the country's "clarion call," especially that the Philippines will be serving as the chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit in 2026.
ASEAN, a regional bloc composed of 10 Southeast Asian countries, is serving as the mediator among the claimant states of the South China Sea to prevent the escalation of sea row.
Marcos said that the people are now "more conscious" with regards to handling the disputes and have also become "strategic in heightening our aerial and maritime domain awareness."
"We are continuing to strengthen our defense posture, both through developing self-reliance and through partnerships with like-minded states," he said.
Marcos promised to the Filipino people that the West Philippine Sea "will remain ours, for as long as the spirit of love for our beloved Philippines remains burning."
He said the government will strengthen the public's awareness about the West Philippine Sea and will pass it on to the next generation.
The President also said the new Laws on our Maritime Zones and Archipelagic Sea Lanes "will make sure that this intergenerational mandate—this duty—will firmly take root in the hearts and minds of our people."
He then expressed his gratitude for the Philippine Navy and the Philippine Coast Guard as well as to the Filipino fisherfolk for the sacrifices they are making for the country.