Concluding his more than hour State of the Nation Address (SONA), President Marcos has asserted to the country's friends and detractors that Filipinos are not greedy, not racist, and not liars.

"Let me remind our friends and our detractors: Filipinos are a noble, kind, gracious, and great race. We are not greedy. We are not racists. We are not liars," Marcos strongly stated in his 1 hour and 26 minutes SONA on Monday, July 27.

In saying this, the President received a standing ovation from the officials and guests at the plenary hall inside the Batasang Pambansa.

"We are respectful and we are dignified. We are Filipinos and we do not yield," he further said.

Noting that the nation's unity and consciousness are currently challenged, the President attempted to raise the citizen's morale, saying: Our unity and collective consciousness are challenged now greater than ever before. A common threat lies before us, directed against our dignity and self-respect as a people.

"Of late, our very humanity has been called into question," he said.

In the middle of threats to national security, the President called on to Filipinos to stand to never be shaken by humiliation and not yield to oppressors.

"Sa mga pang-aalipusta, hindi tayo matitinag. Sa manlulupig, hindi tayo pasisiil (We will not be shaken by insults. We will not yield to oppressors)," Marcos said.

This, as he upheld the 2016 Arbitral Award as final and binding. He added it "stands as a definitive benchmark for the interpretation and application of the UNCLOS."

The President further asserted that "this is not a claim that we advance alone, nor one of that we will abandon."

He assured the citizenry that the government "will do all that is necessary to continue upholding this Award, utilizing every peaceful and legal means available to the Republic against any attempt, foreign or domestic, to undermine this achievement."

He rallied the people to stand tall amid such threats.

"Mga kapwa kong Pilipino, sa ganitong mga banta sa ating seguridad, sa loob at labas ng bansa, tayo’y tumindig nang taas-noo at magkapit-bisig (My fellow Filipinos, in the face of these threats to our security, both within and beyond our borders, let us stand tall with our heads held high and join hands in unity)," Marcos said.

"Dahil tayo man ay magkakaiba sa maraming bagay, iisa lang ang ating lahi. Tayong lahat ay Pilipino. Pilipino sa diwa; Pilipino sa dugo (Though we may differ in many ways, we share one identity. We are all Filipinos—Filipino in spirit, Filipino by blood)," he added.

Marcos told Filipinos that in situations such this "we cannot be divided."

He honoered the Armed Forces, Coast Guard, and fisherfolk, "who all continue to patrol and ply our seas, though fraught with risks."

"To them we owe collective gratitude and appreciation for they give life to the letter and spirit of the Arbitral Award," he said.