PH not seeking to instigate wars —  Marcos

 

President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. lauds the Western Command troops for exercising restraint during their recent resupply mission to Ayungin Shoal where they were harassed by armed Chinese Coast Guard. Photo from Presidential Communications Office. 

By Manuel Mogato | Date 06-25-2024

PUERTO PRINCESA, PALAWAN — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr said the Philippines is not in the business of instigating wars and will aim to settle disputes peacefully as tensions escalate in the volatile West Philippine Sea.

Visiting troops in the country’s western frontiers, facing the disputed Spratlys in the South China Sea, Marcos said the Philippines is not interested in causing trouble in the region.

“We are not in the business of instigating wars – our great ambition is to provide a peaceful and prosperous life for every Filipino,” Marcos told the Western Command in Palawan.

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

He continued: “In defending the nation, we stay true to our Filipino nature and would like to settle all these issues peacefully.” 

Navy personnel from Western Command clashed with the Chinese Coast Guard during a routine resupply mission on  June 17, in which a sailor lost a finger and vessels were damaged.

China’s Coast Guard personnel armed with machetes, knives, and axes confiscated firearms and “deliberately punctured” the Philippine Navy’s rigid-hulled inflatable boats (RHIBs) involved in the mission.

Marcos praised troops for exercising restraint “amidst intense provocation.”

He said his country would always exercise its freedoms and rights in line with international law.

“In the performance of our duties, we will not resort to the use of force or intimidation, or deliberately inflict injury or harm to anyone,” Marcos said. 

“We stand firm. Our calm and peaceful disposition should not be mistaken for acquiescence.”

The United States condemned China’s actions and reaffirmed its ironclad defense commitments against any attack on Philippine aircraft or vessels in the South China Sea under their mutual defense treaty.

However, the Philippines said there was no reason to invoke the treaty because China’s actions, which security officials have described as escalatory, could not be classified as an “armed attack.” (Also read: Philippines asks US to fund 14 projects in EDCA sites)

China claims almost the entire South China Sea, where more than $3 trillion of annual shipborne commerce, including parts claimed by the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Brunei.

In 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague said China’s claims had no legal basis, a decision Beijing has rejected.