AMID escalating tensions with China, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. reaffirmed the Philippines’ unwavering stance on the West Philippine Sea (WPS) at the IISS Shangri-La Dialogue 2024 in Singapore.
“I do not intend to yield. Filipinos do not yield,” he declared, emphasizing that he would never surrender even an inch of Philippine territory.
Despite the 2016 ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration invalidating China’s maritime claims, Chinese harassment of Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) personnel, Navy sailors, and fishermen persists.
In response, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) launched COMPLAN Mulat, a campaign to combat disinformation and strengthen public awareness of the country’s maritime rights.
AFP Chief of Staff General Romeo Brawner Jr. highlighted the need to counter divisive narratives aimed at weakening national resolve.
Further solidifying territorial defense, the AFP introduced Tatag Kapuluan, a strategic initiative to safeguard the archipelago’s waters, and the Comprehensive Archipelagic Defense Concept (CADC), expanding the country’s maritime security efforts.
Marcos also dismissed claims of withdrawing the BRP Sierra Madre from Ayungin Shoal, ensuring continued resupply missions. “Filipinos shall not yield,” he reiterated, as the government strengthens defense strategies and transparency efforts to protect the nation’s sovereignty.
