President Marcos is proudly pro-Philippines and will not yield even an inch of the country's territory to anyone, Malacañang said.
President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. (Mark Balmores)
“Ang Pangulo po ay taas-noo at ipinagmamalaki na siya ay pro-Philippines. Sinabi niya na he will not yield even an inch of our territory (The President stands tall and proudly declares that he is pro-Philippines. He said that he will not yield even an inch of our territory),” Palace Press Officer and Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro said on Friday, June 27.
Castro said this when sought for comment on the statement of the vice president that she is “not pro any country at all” after she was tagged as >>pro-China by Marcos.
“Ang tunay na Pilipino, umaawit ng Lupang Hinirang na may dangal; sinasambit ang mga katagang: Ang mamatay nang dahil sa iyo (A true Filipino sings the Lupang Hinirang with dignity and speaks the words: To die for you),” Castro said.
“Sabi nga po ni Dr. Jose Rizal: Ang hindi marunong magmahal sa sariling wika ay masahol pa sa hayop at malansang isda. Paano pa kaya ang isang Pilipino at isang lider na umaming hindi mahal ang kanyang sariling bansa, ano kaya ang kanilang amoy (As Dr. Jose Rizal once said: He who does not love his own language is worse than an animal and a stinky fish. So what more can be said about a Filipino and a leader who admits that they do not love their own country—what could they possibly smell like)?” Castro added.
Prior to being tagged as pro-China by Marcos, Duterte spoke about the administration's foreign policy, saying the government is leaning towards the United States while pushing China away.
“Right now, the administration is clearly leaning toward the US while pushing China away. I’ve asked for clarity on where our independent foreign policy stands in all this,” the vice president said.
The Palace then hit back saying, “The President said we expect that from the Dutertes because they are pro-China at ang Pangulo po ay (The President is) pro-Philippines.”