Jamaine Punzalan

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos during the opening ceremony of 44th and 45th ASEAN Summit in Lao PDR. Revoli Cortez, PPA Pool

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MARCOS

Katrina Domingo

ABS-CBN News

<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/175464262115220241009-marcos-asean-meerting-lao-pdr-PPA.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/>President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos during the opening ceremony of 44th and 45th ASEAN Summit in Lao PDR. Revoli Cortez, PPA Pool </div>MANILA — The Philippines will “try” to move towards the advancement of a binding code of conduct in the South China Sea when it hosts the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit in 2026, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said in his latest podcast episode.“We will certainly try because it is very, very important,” the President said when asked if Manila would take “bigger and more concrete steps” to finalize the guidelines on how South China Sea claimants should behave in the strategic waterway that has been the source of tensions for decades.“It’s very important to the Philippines because ang pinakamainit na lugar sa West Philippine Sea ay dito sa banda sa atin. Kaya mahalaga sa atin na magkaroon tayo ng code of conduct,” he said.“Pagka nagkaroon ng ganyan, magiging maliwanag kung ano ‘yung rules sa lahat, hindi lamang sa atin. Lahat ng nakapaligid sa South China Sea lahat ‘yan… That will make things a bit easier kasi hindi ka nag-aalangan na baka may mangyari, ano ang mangyayari,” he said.<div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/8/7/marcos-flags-inaccurate-narratives-in-west-ph-sea-dispute-not-all-claims-are-equal-1510">Marcos flags &#x27;inaccurate narratives&#x27; in South China Sea dispute: &#x27;Not all claims are equal&#x27;</a></div>Discussions on a COC between China and ASEAN members have been ongoing for over a decade but parties have failed to hurdle several deadlocks including Beijing’s push to ban joint military training in the waterway it illegally claims.In 2024, the Philippines and Vietnam moved to have their own code of conduct in waters where they have overlapping claims, but that too has yet to be finalized.In his fourth State of the Nation Address this July, Marcos said the Philippines was a “friend to all” and shoring up partnerships with different countries. “There is no shift in tone... Hindi naman nagbabago because continuing to defend strongly our territory is not mutually exclusive from being a friend to all and an enemy of none,” the President said of his foreign policy. “Wala naman talaga tayong kinakalaban eh. Lahat naman kinakaibigan natin pero ipagtatanggol natin ang soberanya ng Pilipinas. Ipagtatanggol natin ang teritoryo ng Pilipinas. You can do both. You don’t have to choose one or the other,” he said. <div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/7/28/-friend-to-all-enemy-to-none-marcos-says-ph-foreign-policy-unchanged-1746">&#x27;Friend to all, enemy to none&#x27;: Marcos says PH foreign policy unchanged</a></div>Manila is keeping an open line with Beijing despite Chinese incursions in the West Philippine Sea, Marcos said.“Once the lines of communication are closed, then there is no room for improvement. That’s why we keep the lines of communication open even kung minsan sinasabi it’s useless,” he said.“We have to keep on trying. We have to keep those lines of communication open. Hindi mo puwedeng isara na lang na ganoon. Pagka ginawa mo ‘yun, mas lalala ang sitwasyon,” he said. “We can only control what we do. We cannot control what other countries do.”Meanwhile, Marcos said there was no need to “gild the lily” during the Philippines’ ASEAN hosting next year.“Hindi mo naman kailangan ipaganda pa ang Pilipinas, basta ipakita mo eh. Makikita nila na ang sisipag ng Pilipino. Ang babait ng Pilipino. Ang ganda-ganda ng Pilipinas. Marami tayong ginagawa na magkakaroon – para patibayin pa ang ating mga foreign relations sa iba’t ibang bansa,” he said.“What I really want to show is that the Philippines has now come together. A kind of social pact with each other na magtutulungan na tayo dahil naman tama naman ang tinutunguhan natin. And that’s the most important thing,” he said.“I want them to see the Philippines as it is. I’m so proud of the Philippines.”The Philippines will take over the ASEAN Chairmanship in 2026 after Myanmar begged off from the responsibility following the resurgence of the military junta’s rule in their country.

The Philippines will “try” to move towards the advancement of a binding code of conduct in the South China Sea when it hosts the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit in 2026, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said in his latest podcast episode.

The Philippines will “try” to move towards the advancement of a binding code of conduct in the South China Sea when it hosts the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit in 2026, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said in his latest podcast episode.

Philippines to push for South China Sea code during ASEAN 2026 chairmanship: Marcos

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Philippines to push for South China Sea code during ASEAN 2026 chairmanship: Marcos

Katrina Domingo,

ABS-CBN News

Published August 08, 2025 07:44 PM PHT

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