President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Monday reaffirmed the country’s territorial rights and interests over the West Philippine Sea (WPS) amid China’s continuous aggression and overreach in the area.

In his third State of the Nation Address, Marcos stressed the Philippines would not abandon its territorial claims while finding ways to de-escalate tensions in the contested waters.

“In the face of challenges to our territorial sovereignty, we will assert our rights and interests in the same fair and pacific way that we have always done,” he said.

“Proper diplomatic channels and mechanisms under the rules-based international order remain the only acceptable means of settling disputes,” he added.

Marcos said the Philippines would continuously try to find ways to de-escalate tensions in contested areas with our counterparts, “without compromising our position and our principles. I know that our neighbors too are doing their very best to make this work.”

He continued: “The Philippines cannot yield. The Philippines cannot waver.”

The remarks earned him huge applause from lawmakers, including guests from the diplomatic corps, as tensions between the Philippines and China heightened under his term.

Over the past years, tensions between Manila and Beijing have escalated as the latter has become increasingly aggressive in obstructing the Philippines’ regular rotation and resupply missions for its personnel stationed at the BRP Sierra Madre.

China claims the vast South China Sea, including the West Philippine Sea. The Ayungin Shoal became a point of contention between the two countries due to their overlapping claims in the low-tide elevation feature in the West Philippine Sea.

Located 105 nautical miles west of Palawan, the Ayungin Shoal is part of the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone and continental shelf.

Beijing has consistently asserted its territorial rights over Ayungin Shoal, demanding that the Philippines remove the BRP Sierra Madre from the area.

‘Not an imagination’

The President said that his administration is “now more conscious as a people, and strategic in heightening our aerial and maritime domain awareness.”

“We are continuing to strengthen our defense posture, both through developing self-reliance and through partnerships with like-minded states,” he stressed.

He also emphasized that the West Philippine Sea is “not merely a figment of our imagination.”

“It is ours. And it will remain ours as long as the spirit of our beloved Philippines burns brightly,” he said, briefly interrupted by cheers from the guests in the gallery.

Marcos said the country would also “strengthen and expand the awareness and knowledge of the entire nation and ensure that we pass this on to our youth and future generations.”

“Laws on our Maritime Zones and Archipelagic Sea Lanes make sure that this intergenerational mandate — this duty — will firmly take root in the hearts and minds of all our people,” he stressed.

Meanwhile, Defense Secretary Gilberto “Gibo” Teodoro Jr. said he is confident that the Philippines will not agree to de-escalate tensions in the West Philippine Sea based solely on China’s terms.

In a television interview on Monday, Teodoro said he is certain that the Department of Foreign Affairs is “conscious of those parameters that it cannot exceed.”

“I have no reason to doubt that such parameters were not considered in reaching this arrangement or agreement with China,” Teodoro asserted when asked to comment on China’s foreign ministry’s remarks that one of the agreed arrangements was for the Philippines to seek permission whenever conducting resupply operations for the troops at the BRP Sierra Madre in Ayungin Shoal.

Teodoro also refused to comment when asked how the government will conduct the rotational and resupply missions in Ayungin Shoal now that Manila and Beijing reached an understanding of maintaining peace in the area.

“We’ll have to wait for the National Maritime Council to convene and for the DFA to relay to us what exactly has been agreed upon. I don’t have any information at this time so it would be premature for me to comment,” he said.

Teodoro sees bilateral committee meetings between China and the Philippines may deescalate the heightened tensions in the WPS, particularly in Ayungin Shoal.

“I mean probably this is another venue where things can be settled without having to, things spread further that can lead to an armed conflict,” he said.