Philippine President Bong Bong Marcos said yesterday that his country will not give up an inch of its territory. Marcos said in statements in Manila following continued maritime tensions with Beijing in the South China Sea that his country “will continue to maintain its territorial integrity and sovereignty in accordance with its constitution and international law.”
And the Philippines announced it was beefing up its presence in the South China Sea last December after it faced a threat in a disputed waterway from nearby Chinese “activity.”
The Philippine Ministry of Defense confirmed that “any incursion into or change in the characteristics of the West Philippine Sea poses a threat to the security of Pagas Island,” explaining that it has been monitoring Chinese activities near the island, although it has not specified the nature of these Chinese activities.
Marcos Jr. (64) is the only son of Ferdinand Marcos, who ruled the Philippines from 1965 to 1986 and in his 20s was governor of their original province of Ilocos Norte, about 440 kilometers north of Manila), but the family from power prompted him to flee to the United States.
