President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said there should be a delineation between politics and the economy as he underscored the need to make sound decisions to uphold stability and safeguard sovereign rights.

During the recent World Economic Forum roundtable in Malacañan Palace, Marcos Jr. stressed the need for small countries like the Philippines to manage economic and political realignments independently.

He also explained that some countries like the Philippines have little influence over what more developed countries would do.

"Doing all of these things that we are talking about in the context of a very volatile geopolitical situation presents an enormous challenge," Marcos Jr. said.

"We have little influence on what the great powers will do. We do, however, have the ability to deal with every power," he added.

Marcos Jr. reiterated his country's stance of being "a friend to all and an enemy to none" and stressed the need to make decisions that benefit the economy without compromising political stability.

"Our guiding principle is to separate the two things as much as possible," Marcos Jr. said, referring to separating politics and economy when it comes to navigating geopolitical problems.

"We must continue to make that delineation and hopefully, we make the right choices so that our political stability, our political sovereignty, and sovereign rights are defended, robustly," he added.

However, the Chief Executive acknowledged that bigger countries can use their economic power for strategic maneuvering to ensure a win-win situation in the realignment of great powers.

“Economic power is also used as political power in these instances, so it is not that simple but we must continue to make that delineation and hopefully we make that right choices so that our political stability, our political sovereignty, our sovereign rights are defended robustly,” Marcos Jr. said.

As geopolitical tensions continue to shape the global landscape, Marcos Jr. reiterated his commitment to maintaining robust political sovereignty while engaging with countries across the political spectrum.

"We are able to deal with any country in the world, regardless of their political leanings or alliances. Our goal is to grow the economy while safeguarding our political stability," Marcos Jr. said.