President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. delivers a speech for the Araw ng Kagitingan or Day of Valor ceremonies in Mt. Samat, Bataan, on Tuesday, April 9, 2024. (Photo from RTV Malacañang)
MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on the Day of Valor said that it is unacceptable for Filipinos to be harmed as the country confronts threats to its sovereignty.
Marcos said to an audience of Filipino war veterans and representatives from allied countries like Japan and the United States that the threats to the nation persist.
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“The fall of Bataan, thus, marked the resurgence of a genuinely independent, sovereign Philippines. Eighty-two years on, our nation remains confronted with novel challenges in varying forms and degrees, but with the same existential impact,” said Marcos in his speech in Mt. Samat, Bataan.
“Some pertinent, clear and present threats to our sovereign rights, and, in fact, have already caused physical harm to our people,” he noted.
“Ang mga ito ay hindi katanggap-tanggap, hindi makatwiran o makatarungan, lalo na sa panahong ito ng payapang pakikipag-ugnayan ng mga bansa,” he added.
(These are unacceptable, unreasonable and unjust, especially during peaceful relations among nations.)
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While the President did not specify any incident, the speech comes a month after the Chinese Coast Guard injured Filipino crew members in the West Philippine Sea.
The President told the present and future generations to emulate Filipinos who fought in the war.
“Tulad ng ipinamalas ng ating mga dakilang ninuno, hindi tayo dapat magpasupil at magpa-api, lalo na sa ating sariling bakuran,” said Marcos.
(Like what our ancestors showed, we must not let ourselves be controlled or bullied, especially in our backyard.)
READ: Marcos: Philippines will not lose one inch of its territory
Tensions between Manila and Beijing over the West Philippine Sea have increased since Marcos assumed the presidency.
Marcos proclaimed that the Philippines would not yield a single inch of its territory.
While the Philippine government said it is exercising all means to resolve the issue peacefully, the country’s defenses have begun to refocus its strategy from internal threats to external dangers.