With full conviction, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Monday warned those who threaten Philippine sovereignty that Filipinos will not yield and are neither greedy, racist, nor liars.

The firm message came days after personnel from the Philippine Navy and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources were allegedly intimidated by the Chinese Coast Guard in the West Philippine Sea, as well as following an editorial by a Chinese news organization depicting Filipinos as monkeys.

"A common threat lies before us, directed against our dignity and self-respect as a people.

"Of late, our very humanity has been called into question. Let me remind our friends and our detractors: Filipinos are a noble, kind, gracious, and great race. We are not greedy. We are not racists. We are not liars," Marcos said during his fifth State of the Nation Address at the House of Representatives on Monday.

"We are respectful, and we are dignified. We are Filipinos, and we do not yield," he added.

The President's remarks coincided with the 10th anniversary of the final and binding 2016 Arbitral Award, which he said remains the definitive benchmark for the interpretation and application of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

"This is not a claim that we advance alone, nor one that we will abandon," he said.

Marcos assured Filipinos that his administration would continue to uphold the arbitral ruling.

"...utilizing every peaceful and legal means available to the Republic against any attempt, foreign or domestic, to undermine this achievement. We give honor to our Armed Forces, the Coast Guard, and even our fisherfolk, who all continue to patrol and ply our seas, though fraught with risks," he said.

"To them we owe collective gratitude and appreciation, for they give life to the letter and spirit of the Arbitral Award," the President added.

He also called on Filipinos to unite against threats to national security.

"Dahil tayo man ay magkakaiba sa maraming bagay, iisa lang ang ating lahi. Tayong lahat ay Pilipino. Pilipino sa diwa; Pilipino sa dugo. Manaig nawa ang pagkakaisa, at ang pagmamahal natin sa Inang Bayan at sa kapwa-Pilipino. Sa bagay na ito, hindi tayo magkaka-tunggali. Tayo ay magkakabigkis — tulad ng ating pinamalas sa ating buong kasaysayan," Marcos said.

"Sa mga pang-aalipusta, hindi tayo matitinag. Sa manlulupig, hindi tayo pasisiil," he added.

Last week, Marcos summoned Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Jing Quan following the Ayungin Shoal incident near BRP Sierra Madre, in which Chinese Coast Guard personnel allegedly confronted Philippine Navy personnel, leaving some of the latter wounded during the standoff.

China, however, claimed that Philippine troops initiated the confrontation.

The Chinese envoy also distanced the Chinese government from the state-run China Daily's controversial AI-generated video depicting Filipinos as monkeys, maintaining that the publication's content was not directed by Beijing.