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President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. answers media questions, August 8, 2025. Noel Pabalate, PPA pool

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MARCOS

Katrina Domingo

ABS-CBN News

<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/175488447774320250808-marcos-india-kapihan-NP07.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. answers media questions, August 8, 2025. Noel Pabalate, PPA pool </span></span></span></div><p>MANILA — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said he would never instruct Philippine vessels to pull back from the Scarborough Shoal after Chinese vessels fired water cannons and tried to chase Philippine ships away from the resource-rich area on Monday.</p><p>“We have never instructed our vessels to back out. We do not back out because natakot tayo… Dito sa gobyernong ito hindi tayo umaatras sa laban,” the President said in a press conference in Malacañang.</p><p>“We don’t have special instructions. Sanay na tayo dito,” he said.</p><p>The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) earlier in the day reported that <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/8/11/2-chinese-ships-collide-after-chasing-philippine-vessel-in-bajo-de-masinloc-pcg-1102">two Chinese ships collided</a> near Bajo de Masinloc (Scarborough Shoal) after they fired a water cannon against a Philippine vessel and chased another. </p><p>The PCG said it was sailing with BRP Teresa Magbanua and BRP Suluan, MV Pamamalakaya, and 35 Filipino fishing vessels when they “encountered hazardous maneuvers and blocking actions” from Chinese ships.</p><p>“In particular, the MRRV 4406 was targeted with a water cannon, but the seamanship skills by PCG crew members allowed the vessel to successfully evade from getting hit,” the agency said.</p><p>China Coast Guard (CCG) vessel 3104 and People&#x27;s Liberation Army Navy (PLA Navy) ship 164 collided some 10.5 nautical miles east of Bajo de Masinloc after the two vessels tried to chase BRP Suluan away from the area, it said.</p><p>The PCG said it offered assistance with man-overboard recovery and medical aid for any injured Chinese crew members, and “safely escorted the Filipino fishermen to a secure location, where they are now being provided with essential fuel and supplies.” </p><p>“We did not intensify our operations, we just respond,” Marcos said.</p><p>“Hindi naman tayo aggressive, dumidepensa lang tayo,” he added.</p><p>“We will continue to defend our territory. We will continue to defend our sovereign rights.”</p><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display:flex;max-width:550px;width:100%;margin-top:10px;margin-bottom:10px"><iframe id="twitter-widget-1" scrolling="no" frameBorder="0" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&amp;embedId=twitter-widget-1&amp;features=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%3D%3D&amp;frame=false&amp;hideCard=false&amp;hideThread=false&amp;id=1954734522282733749&amp;lang=en&amp;origin=https%3A%2F%2Fod2-workbench-web.abs-cbn.com%2F%23%2Fworkspace%2Fmonitoring%3Fitem%3Durn%3Anewsml%3Aod2-workbench-api.abs-cbn.com%3A2025-08-11T03%3A56%3A12.608052%3A81857037-f132-4cf8-8499-2a71b0edca5f%26action%3Dedit&amp;sessionId=54202300c80f93f8e4a1dd6a0b6ebe76ca3e2645&amp;theme=light&amp;widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&amp;width=550px" style="position:static;visibility:visible;width:495px;height:665px;display:block;flex-grow:1" data-tweet-id="1954734522282733749"></iframe></div><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charSet="utf-8"></script><p>Meanwhile, Marcos rejected China’s remark that the Philippines was “playing with fire” after he said in an interview that Filipinos have no choice but to be dragged into war should a conflict erupt in nearby Taiwan.</p><p>“I don’t know what they were talking about. I was just stating facts: We do not want to go to war but I think if there is a war over Taiwan, we will be drawn. Hihilain tayo sa ayaw at gusto natin,<a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/8/11/marcos-says-philippines-would-be-dragged-kicking-and-screaming-into-taiwan-war-1116"> kicking and screaming</a>,” he said.</p><p>“Wala tayong interes na pasukin kahit sino, suguring kahit sino,” he said.</p><p>“Sinong Pinoy ang gusto magkagiyera? Maghanap ka para sa akin kahit isa… but at the same time we have a duty to perform… [and] we will stop doing this when the threats stop.”</p><p>Manila and Beijing had been at odds in the West Philippine Sea as Asia’s largest economy continues to assert ownership in almost the entire South China Sea despite a 2016 international arbitral ruling that invalidated its sweeping claims in the strategic waterway.</p><p>Last week, Marcos said the Philippines would<a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/8/8/philippines-to-push-for-binding-south-china-sea-code-during-asean-2026-chairmanship-marcos-1944"> push to finalize a binding code of conduct in the South China Sea</a> when it hosts the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Summit in 2026.</p><p>The sea code — which has been languishing in negotiating tables for decades — is believed to be a mechanism that would effectively address overlapping claims in the sea where trillions of dollars worth of seaborne goods pass through annually.</p><div><a href="http://news.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/8/6/pcg-alarmed-by-surge-of-chinese-research-vessels-in-west-philippine-sea-1316">PCG alarmed by surge of Chinese research vessels in West Philippine Sea</a><br style="color:rgb(0, 0, 0);letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;white-space:normal;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial" id="isPasted"/><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/8/8/3-china-coast-guard-ships-bracketing-batanes-in-rare-intrusive-patrol-1523">3 China Coast Guard ships ‘bracketing’ Batanes in rare ‘intrusive patrol’</a></div><div><iframe width="1100" height="619" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/o3ySNNJp1AU" title="China slams PH defense chief, calls Manila &#x27;troublemaker&#x27; in sea row | ANC" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><iframe width="1100" height="619" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/p-7MuZWwPKw" title="PH, India navies hold joint patrols in West Philippine Sea | ANC" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div>

<p>President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said he would never instruct Philippine vessels to pull back from the Scarborough Shoal after Chinese vessels fired water cannons and tried to chase Philippine ships away from the resource-rich area on Monday.</p>

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said he would never instruct Philippine vessels to pull back from the Scarborough Shoal after Chinese vessels fired water cannons and tried to chase Philippine ships away from the resource-rich area on Monday.

Marcos: PH vessels won’t back out from Scarborough after fresh incident with China

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Marcos: PH vessels won’t back out from Scarborough after fresh incident with China

Katrina Domingo,

ABS-CBN News

Published August 11, 2025 11:59 AM PHT

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