President Marcos insisted he was just stating facts when he talked about getting Filipinos out from Taiwan if conflict ensues, saying he was perplexed that China took it as him playing with fire.

"I don’t know what they are talking about. Playing with fire? I was just stating facts. We do not want to go to war," Marcos said in a Palace press conference on Monday, Aug. 11.

The President pointed out that he was merely stating what the Philippines must do once conflict happens to ensure that Filipinos in Taiwan are safe. He stressed that the country will be inevitably dragged into the mess.

"We will be drawn and dragged into that mess. Whatever you do…Come on, let's be – huwag na tayong mag… (let's not just) hope. I love this saying, hope is not a plan. I hope it doesn't happen," he said.

The Philippines, Marcos said, cannot stay still and not plan on how to get its people out of Taiwan.

"So, we'll have to do something. So, inevitably, despite our fervent wish to avoid any confrontation with anybody anywhere, war over Taiwan will drag the Philippines kicking and screaming into the conflict. That is what I was trying to say. That's why I don't understand," Marcos further stressed.

While Marcos said he has no special instruction on the recent incident in Bajo de Masinloc, where Chinese ships used water cannons against Philippine vessels, the President said the country will continue to be present in its waters and will keep defending its territory.

He also stressed that the Philippines is neither intensifying its operations, nor deploying aggressiveness in the waters.

"What will happen here is we will continue to be present. We will continue to defend our territory. We will continue to exercise our sovereign rights. And despite any opposition from anyone, we will continue to do that as we have done in the past three years," Marcos said.

"Now, we do not intensify our operations, we just respond. Hindi naman tayo aggressive, e. Ano lang tayo, dumedepensa lang tayo (We are not aggressive. We are just defending)," Marcos added.

Marcos also stated that the Philippines has no interest in invading or engaging anyone as "we are constant in our defense of the territory, of the state, of the population of the Republic of the Philippines."

"We do not want any kind of confrontation with anyone. We want to build a better, stronger, freer, safer Philippines. That's what we are working for," Marcos said.

"This does not build – this kind of confrontation does not build a stronger, better Philippines. All it does is continue to defend our country," Marcos added.

"So, I'm a little bit perplexed why it would be characterized as such, as a – as 'playing with fire'," he argued.

Marcos further said he had never instructed any of the Philippine vessels to back out because they had a duty to perform—to defend the country.

"So, no, we never back down," he said.

"We will stop doing it when the threat stops... We can all sit more safely at home. And mas magiging magaan ang kalooban natin kapag ganoon ang sitwasyon (And we will feel more at ease if that is the situation)," the President added.