Marcos: We’re Not Greedy, Racists, Liars; We Don’t Yield

President Marcos slammed what he called threats to Filipinos’ dignity and self-respect by “detractors,” even as he vowed to continue upholding the final and binding 2016 Arbitral Award on the South China Sea.

In his fifth State of the Nation Address that lasted for an hour and 26 minutes on Monday, July 27, Marcos vowed that the government would do all that is necessary to continue upholding the award – which invalidated China’s sweeping claims over the important waterway – through peaceful and legal means.

“Let me remind our friends and our detractors: Filipinos are a noble, kind, gracious and great race. We are not greedy. We are not racists. We are not liars,” the President said, drawing applause and a standing ovation from lawmakers at the Batasang Pambansa.

“We are respectful, and we are dignified. We are Filipinos, and we do not yield,” he said.

Marcos was alluding to the recent depiction by Chinese state media of Filipinos as monkeys in criticizing the arbitral ruling which also upheld the Philippines’ sovereign rights within its exclusive economic zone.

It also came days after a Philippine Navy personnel stationed on the BRP Sierra Madre in Ayungin Shoal was struck and injured in the head by a Chinese coast guard.

The Philippines on July 12 celebrated the 10th anniversary of the Arbitral Award, which Marcos said stands as “a definitive benchmark” for the interpretation and application of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea or UNCLOS.

“This is not a claim that we advance alone, nor is it one that we will abandon. Your government will do all that is necessary to continue upholding this award, utilizing every peaceful and legal means available to the Republic against any attempt, foreign or domestic, to undermine this achievement,” the President said.

Marcos also honored the Armed Forces, the Coast Guard and Filipino fisherfolk, “who all continue to patrol and ply our seas in the face of great risks.”

“To them we owe collective gratitude and appreciation, for it is they who give life to the letter and spirit of the Arbitral Award,” he said.

Marcos said defending the country’s sovereignty is a responsibility of every Filipino.

Search for Vietnam crew

The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) on Sunday evening, July 26, deployed a vessel and air asset to assist in the search and rescue for 17 missing crew of a Vietnamese cargo vessel that reportedly sank near Kagitingan Reef in the West Philippine Sea (WPS).

According to reports, out of the 62 crew members of Khoi Nguyen 18, a total of 45 crewmen have been rescued while the rest remain missing since Saturday night, July 25.

The 230-feet long Khoi Nguyen 18 is a general cargo ship flagged in Vietnam. It is a very small coastal freighter built in 2017.

The PCG said in a statement that it deployed its multi-role response vessel BRP Malapascua (MRRV 4403) and an air asset.

The BRP Malapascua departed from Ulugan Bay in Palawan and would cover a distance of 345 nautical miles before it could reach Kagitingan Reef in the WPS. The air asset was also dispatched from the Coast Guard District Palawan.

PCG spokesperson Commodore Noemie Cayabyab said the “estimated arrival of MRRV 4403 (at the vicinity of Kagitingan Reef) is on July 28 at 5 a.m. or it can be early, depending on the sea conditions. Our air asset will also support the aerial search.”

The PCG has also been in constant communication with the Vietnamese Coast Guard.

“The PCG Command Center is coordinating closely with the VCG for other operational information needed to guide the search and rescue response,” Cayabyab said.

It was reported that Khoi Nguyen sank due to severe weather conditions. It sent a distress call at around 6:30 p.m. of July 25 and sank late evening.

A Vietnamese ship, Chinese rescue vessels and rescue helicopter immediately went to assist the distressed cargo ship. – With Evelyn Macairan