Fishermen with the Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (PAMALAKAYA), who went into a collective fishing expedition towards the Panatag Shoal (Scarborough Shoal), sail in waters off Zambales on May 31, 2024. The expedition was meant to defy the four-month Chinese fishing ban in the West Philippine Sea, claimed by China as its territory. ABS-CBN News 

MANILA (UPDATED) — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Monday said Manila cannot yield or waver in defending the West Philippine Sea, even as his administration struck an agreement with China on delivering provisions to Filipino troops on BRP Sierra Madre — Manila's military outpost at Ayungin Shoal — in a bid to de-escalate tensions in the waters.

In his third State of the Nation Address, Marcos said the officials "continuously try to find ways to de-escalate tensions in contested areas with our counterparts without compromising our position and our principles."

"The Philippines cannot yield, the Philippines cannot waver," Marcos said.

"Ang West Philippine Sea ay hindi kathang-isip natin lamang. Ito ay atin. At ito ay mananatiling atin, hangga’t nag-aalab ang diwa ng ating minamahal na bansang Pilipinas," he added. 

(The West Philippine Sea is not merely a figment of our imagination. It is ours. And it will remain ours, as long as the spirit of our beloved country, the Philippines, burns brightly.)

'A POWERFUL ASSERTION'

House Speaker Martin Romualdez, meanwhile, lauded the President’s pronouncements on the West Philippine Sea issue.

"The President’s declaration that the WPS is rightfully ours is a powerful assertion of our national sovereignty," the House leader said.

Romualdez said the President’s emphasis on using diplomatic channels to resolve territorial disputes “highlights our unwavering commitment to peaceful and lawful means of protecting our interests.”

But House Assistant Minority Leader and Gabriela Women's Party Representative Arlene Brosas called Marcos Jr.’s statements on WPS “false patriotism”.

"How can he claim the West Philippine Sea is ours when he has allowed increased US military presence in our country? From the Balikatan exercises to the war-provoking missile system in Ilocos Norte, and now the Japan-Philippines Reciprocal Access Agreement and the Agreement for Cooperation in Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Energy (123 Agreement), this administration is turning our nation into a playground for foreign military powers," she said.

Brosas also criticized the Marcos Jr. administration’s push for the Foreign Investment Lease Act, which seeks to extend land lease periods for foreign investors from 75 to 99 years.

"Hindi umubra ang cha-cha, kaya gagawan nila ng paraan para pagkakitaan pa rin tayo ng mga dayuhan sa porma ng pagpapasa ng batas," she warned.

Beijing asserts ownership of 90 percent of the South China Sea — including parts of the West Philippine Sea — and rejects an international court ruling in 2016 that invalidated its sweeping claims.

DFA TO CONTINUE ASSERTING SOVEREIGN RIGHTS

The Department of Foreign Affairs earlier in the day also vowed to continue asserting the country's sovereign rights despite agreeing to an arrangement with China on resupply missions to BRP Sierra Madre on Ayungin Shoal.

DFA spokesperson Teresita Daza has said the deal was "concluded with the clear understanding by both sides that it will not prejudice our respective national positions."

READ: Most Filipinos want government to keep asserting sovereign rights in West Philippine Sea

Sailors and coastguard personnel from Manila and Beijing have had tensions in the West Philippine Sea in recent months, with one of the latest incidents resulting in a Filipino sailor losing a thumb in a June 17 confrontation.

READ: Philippines to ‘continue to assert rights’ after deal with China on resupply missions, says DFA

READ: Philippines, China reach 'arrangement' for resupply missions on Ayungin Shoal

It happened when Chinese Coast Guard members wielded knives, sticks, and an axe to prevent a Philippine Navy attempt to resupply its troops.

Marcos appeared to recognize these incidents, saying, "In our international relations, we have faced challenges to our territorial sovereignty."

But he said the country "will assert our rights and interests in the same fair and pacific way that we have always done."

"Proper diplomatic channels and mechanisms under the rules-based international order remain the only acceptable means of settling disputes. Peace and community-building will always be our clarion call," he said.

Ahead of the agreement on resupplying troops on BRP Sierra Madre, both nations had agreed to boost the number of communication channels to resolve maritime disagreements between them.

READ: China OKs PH resupply missions to BRP Sierra Madre

READ: ‘Like RAA’: Philippines eyes defense pacts with Canada, France, New Zealand - Teodoro

—with a report from Agence France-Presse