President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr. graces the Commencement Exercises of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) "Bagong Sinag" class of 2024. at the Fort Del Pilar in Baguio City, Province of Benguet on  May 18, 2024. KJ Rosales, PPA pool

Philippine Military Academy Commencement Exercises

Agence France-Presse

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/171601872756220240518-bbm-pma-arrival-PPA-4.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr. graces the Commencement Exercises of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) " Bagong="" of="" at="" the="" Fort="" Del="" Pilar="" in="" Baguio="" Province="" Benguet="" on="" May="" KJ="" PPA=""/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr. graces the Commencement Exercises of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) &quot;Bagong Sinag&quot; class of 2024. at the Fort Del Pilar in Baguio City, Province of Benguet on  May 18, 2024. <em>KJ Rosales, PPA pool</em></span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">MANILA -- The Philippines will &quot;vigorously defend what is ours&quot;, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said on Saturday, as Manila&#x27;s maritime row with Beijing over the South China Sea escalates.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Marcos told a Philippine Military Academy graduation ceremony that the Southeast Asian country faced &quot;a blatant disregard of internationally accepted principles&quot;.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">His remarks follow a series of incidents involving Philippine and Chinese vessels near disputed reefs in the South China Sea that have strained diplomatic ties.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Marcos ordered the graduates to &quot;keep our people safe in their homes, our territory secure, our defenses against threats strong, and our democracy stable&quot;.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">&quot;Against intruders who have been disrespecting our territorial integrity, we will vigorously defend what is ours,&quot; Marcos said in the speech, which did not specifically mention China.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/2024/5/18/marcos-urges-pma-grads-to-respect-civilian-authority-defend-sovereignty-and-territory-1309"></a><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/2024/5/18/marcos-urges-pma-grads-to-respect-civilian-authority-defend-sovereignty-and-territory-1309">READ: Marcos urges PMA grads to respect civilian authority, defend sovereignty and territory</a></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/2024/5/18/pma-2024-topnotcher-overcomes-medical-challenge-to-finish-top-of-her-class-1339"></a><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/2024/5/18/pma-2024-topnotcher-overcomes-medical-challenge-to-finish-top-of-her-class-1339">READ: Defense chief tells PMA Class of 2024-- Listen to your seniors regardless of rank</a></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">China Coast Guard vessels have used water cannon against Philippine boats several times in recent months in the contested waters, where there have also been collisions.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Beijing claims most of the South China Sea, brushing off rival claims from other countries, including the Philippines, and an international ruling that its assertion over the waterway has no legal basis.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">To press its claims, Beijing deploys coast guard and other boats to patrol the waterway and has turned several reefs into artificial islands that it has militarized.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">A Philippine civilian convoy sailed towards Scarborough Shoal to bring fuel and food supplies for Filipino fishermen in the area this week. It later turned back after one of the boats was shadowed by a Chinese navy ship.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">China defends its actions by saying that it takes necessary measures against vessels it says are infringing on its territory.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/world/2024/5/17/china-renews-call-for-philippines-to-stop-provocations-over-south-china-sea-905"></a><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/world/2024/5/17/china-renews-call-for-philippines-to-stop-provocations-over-south-china-sea-905">READ: China renews call for Philippines to stop &#x27;provocations&#x27; over South China Sea</a></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Marcos said the Philippines&#x27; conduct would be &quot;always guided by law and our responsibility as a rules-abiding member of the community of nations&quot;.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">He has said that Manila will not respond in kind to the use of water cannon against its vessels.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"><strong>© Agence France-Presse</strong></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/2024/5/18/pma-2024-topnotcher-overcomes-medical-challenge-to-finish-top-of-her-class-1339"></a><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/2024/5/18/pma-2024-topnotcher-overcomes-medical-challenge-to-finish-top-of-her-class-1339">READ: PMA 2024 topnotcher overcomes medical challenge to finish top of her class</a></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"><strong>RELATED VIDEOS:</strong></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/3JxmICJ7qHY?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Imsz-Xnhjuc?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div><div><br/></div><div><br/></div>

<p>The Philippines will "vigorously defend what is ours", President Ferdinand Marcos said on Saturday, as Manila's maritime row with Beijing over the South China Sea escalates.</p>

The Philippines will "vigorously defend what is ours", President Ferdinand Marcos said on Saturday, as Manila's maritime row with Beijing over the South China Sea escalates.

Marcos says Philippines will 'vigorously defend what is ours'

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Marcos says Philippines will 'vigorously defend what is ours'

Agence France-Presse

Published May 18, 2024 03:58 PM PHT

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China

Philippines

Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

West Philippine Sea

South China Sea

Philippine Military Academy

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