PBBM stance on WPS steadfast: ‘What is ours is ours’ – Palace

By Ruth Abbey Gita-Carlos, Philippine News Agency

FILE: Satellite Picture of the West Philippine Sea (Photo by Serg!o – Satellite pictures, from NASA World Wind Globe, version 1.4, Public Domain)

MANILA – President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s stance on the West Philippine Sea (WPS) issue remains firm and unchanged, maintaining that “what is ours is ours,” Malacañang said on Saturday.

Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Undersecretary and Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said Marcos’ WPS policy is far different from the submissive approach of his predecessor, former president Rodrigo Duterte who was reluctant to confront China over its claims in the WPS.

“Panahon ni dating pangulong Duterte, wala talagang gulo kasi umo-oo tayo (During the time of former president Duterte, there was really no conflict because we just said ‘yes’),” Castro said during the Radyo Pilipinas’ Prangkahan Na! Program.

“Hindi ganoon si Pangulo, si Pangulong Marcos. Hindi ganoon. Ipaglalaban niya kung ano ang rights natin sa West Philippine Sea, sa EEZ (exclusive economic zone), kung anong meron tayo (The President is not like that, President Marcos. He’s not like that. He will fight for what our rights are in the West Philippine Sea, in the EEZ, what we have).”

Castro lamented that when Duterte apparently bowed down to China during his watch, he allowed Beijing to control the Philippine waters, including Sandy Cay where Chinese vessels were seen patrolling under the past administration.

“So, nasaan na yung pagiging independent na country natin? Yung soberenya natin? Eh hindi naman tayo probinsya. At unlike before, the former president wished na maging probinsya tayo. Eh hindi tayo naging probinsya. Kung napagawa siguro tayo na probinsya ng China, susunod tayo (So, where is our independence as a country? Our sovereignty? We are not a province. And unlike before, the former president wished that we would become a province. We have not become a province. If we could have been made a province of China, we would have followed suit),” she said.

Castro said Duterte had even ordered to stop the construction of Sandy Cay because of strong opposition from China.

She said Marcos would be unyielding when it comes to defending the Philippines’ sovereign rights over the WPS.

“Let’s face it. Hindi tayo probinsya ng China kahit ito’y ginusto ni dating pangulong Duterte. Tama lang po ang ginagawa ng Pangulo. Nandun po ang kaniyang stance (We are not a province of China even though former president Duterte wanted it to be. The President is doing the right thing. His stance is): Leave our territory. Remove your claim doon sa (over our) maritime rights natin. So, remove everything. What is ours is ours,” Castro said.

On Friday, the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) also denounced and refuted China’s recent claims over Palawan Island, which has spread on various Chinese social media platforms, such as Weibo.

A post from Rednote app, which is similar to Tiktok, falsely claimed that Palawan Island was once a Chinese territory purportedly governed by China for about a millennium.

The post also claimed that the island’s original name was “Zheng He Island” after a famous 14th Chinese explorer.

“The post falsely states that the island of Palawan was once theirs and they have governed it for 1,000 years, but the Philippines claims jurisdiction and has named it Palawan,” the NHCP said.

“It is necessary to note that exploration does not equate to sovereign ownership. There exists no evidence to support the settlement of a permanent Chinese population in Palawan, which has been continuously populated since 50,000 years ago through archeological data.”