Marcos on West Philippine Sea: ‘We’re not in the business to instigate wars’

China Coast Guard personnel brandish bolos against Philippine navy personnel during the June 17 resupply mission in a naval outpost in Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal. (File photo from AFP)

MANILA, Philippines — The country will neither resort to war nor use force and intimidation to resolve issues relating to the West Philippine Sea (WPS), according to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

During his speech at the Forces of the Philippines (AFP) – Western Command in Palawan, Marcos maintained that the country would resolve the conflict in the area peacefully.

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“We are not in the business to instigate wars – our great ambition is to provide a peaceful and prosperous life for every Filipino,” Marcos said.

“This is the drum beat. This is the principle that we live by and that we march by,” the commander-in-chief told the soldiers.

“We refuse to play by the rules that force us to choose sides in a great power competition,” he said.

“No government that truly exists in the service of the people will invite danger or harm to lives and livelihood,” he noted.

His statement comes after the China Coast Guard rammed into a Filipino vessel during a resupply mission to Ayungin Shoal.

Reports revealed that the encounter resulted in the injury of one Philippine Navy personnel, who lost his finger.

Although Marcos preferred to settle the issue peacefully, he, however, asserted that the country’s “calm and peaceful disposition should not be mistaken for acquiescence.”

He repeated that “Filipinos will not yield to any foreign power.”

“We owe to our forefathers the duty to keep the freedoms that they fought, bled and died for; and that we presently enjoy,” Marcos recalled.

“Kailanman ay hindi tayo magpapasupil at magpapaapi kahit na kanino man,” he vowed.

(We will never succumb to oppression and bullying.)

“The Philippines is a responsible state. We will continue to exercise our freedoms and rights in support of our national interest, in accordance with international law,” he added.