NMC backs Marcos stance in WPS, says PH resolute vs. foreign intrusion

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr looks towards Chinese Premier Li Qiang as they attend the 27th ASEAN-China Summit at the National Convention Centre in Vientiane, Laos, October 10, 2024. REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha

MANILA, Philippines — The National Maritime Council (NMC) has expressed its full support for President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s firm commitment to assert and defend the Philippines’ sovereignty in the West Philippine Sea (WPS).

The NMC said the country remained resolute against any foreign intrusion and would not stop protecting its territory in accordance with international law.

This follows the president’s statement reaffirming the country’s resolve to safeguard its rights in the disputed waters despite the ongoing presence of China’s “monster ship,” which has been hovering off Zambales waters for a month now.

“We stand resolute against any foreign intrusion into our maritime zones and will never cease upholding our rights and honoring our duties under international law, particularly the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and the 2016 Arbitral Award,” the NMC said in a statement Saturday.

“The Philippines, while committed to the peaceful settlement of disputes and proper diplomatic approaches, will never waver in protecting its national territory and maritime domain,” it added.

On Thursday, Marcos vowed that the country would maintain its presence in the WPS, regardless of China’s actions, including ramming Philippine vessels, using water cannons, lasers, or blocking ships.

“We will always be there protecting our territory. We will always be there making sure our fishermen are able to exercise their sovereign rights,” he said in a Palace presser.

The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) has been closely monitoring China Coast Guard vessel 5901, dubbed the “monster ship” for its size, which was first spotted 54 nautical miles from Zambales shores on Jan. 4.

Although the PCG has pushed the Chinese ship farther from the Zambales coastline, it remains within Philippine waters.

The WPS is part of the vast South China Sea, which Beijing claims entirely as its own.

However, in 2016, the Philippines won a landmark international arbitration case against China, invalidating its ambitious claim over the South China Sea—a ruling that Beijing vehemently disregarded.