VANCOUVER, Canada — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Saturday (Sunday in Manila) admitted that he is "worried" about a possible shift in policy in the West Philippine Sea after his term ends in 2028.
In a media interview here, Marcos stressed the importance of upholding the 2016 arbitral ruling that favored the Philippines against China regarding long-standing maritime disputes.
"Well, of course, it's a very important issue for the Philippines, if you're asking me if I'm worried that the policy of the Philippines will change after I leave office, of course, I am. Because it's almost, not quite, but it's almost an existential issue for us," Marcos said.
"So we really have to be consistent in that. And I think the rightness in our positioning, in terms of the way we position the Philippines in our foreign policy vis-à-vis the arbitral agreement, arbitral award is validated by countries like Canada [that] support it and see it as simply an enforcement of international law and the defense of our territorial integrity and the exercise of our sovereign rights within our sovereign territory," he added.
