Marcos vows not to abandon South China Sea ruling
Marcos, in his strongest statement on the 2016 Arbitral Award, said the landmark legal victory stands as a “definitive benchmark for the interpretation and application of the UNCLOS.”
Anna Mogato | July 27, 2026
MANILA — Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. took a swipe at China after its Communist Party’s mouthpiece depicted Filipinos as “monkeys” manipulated by the US and Japan in reaction to Manila’s 10th year celebration of an arbitral award in The Hague.
Marcos told a joint session of the 20th Congress he will not abandon the 2016 arbitral ruling that ruled in favor of the Philippines over the contested waters in the South China Sea.
Marcos, in his strongest statement on the 2016 Arbitral Award, said the landmark legal victory stands as a “definitive benchmark for the interpretation and application of the UNCLOS.”
“This is not a claim that we advance alone, nor one that we will abandon,” Marcos stressed.
“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,” he added.
Earlier this month, the Philippines celebrated the 10th anniversary of the 2016 Arbitral Award on the South China Sea, which rejected China’s historic “nine-dash line” claim.
Many of the country’s allies have also voiced their support for the enforcement of the Arbitral Ruling, and similarly issued statements against China’s Illegal, Coercive, Aggressive and and Deceptive (ICAD) actions against Philippine vessels.
China continued to ignore the arbitral award, insisting on undisputed sovereignty claim on almost the entire South China Sea. (Also read: PH arbitral win gives legal framework for more PH, US, allied enforcement in South China Sea)
Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Vietnam also have conflicting claims on the strategic waterway where $3 trillion trade passes annually.
Just last week, China Coast Guard personnel injured a Philippine Navy serviceman, and repeatedly hit Philippine vessels with water cannons.
These incidents occurred as the Philippines hosted a week-long 59th Association of Southeast Asian Nations Foreign Ministers Meeting, which China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi also attended.
Marcos also lauded the Filipino servicemen from the Armed Forces of the Philippines, and the Coast Guard, as well as the fisherfolk who maintain Philippine presence in the West Philippine Sea.
“Mga kapwa kong Pilipino, sa ganitong mga banta sa ating seguridad, sa loob at labas ng bansa, tayo’y tumindig nang taas-noo at magkapit-bisig. Dahil tayo man ay magkakaiba sa maraming bagay, iisa lang ang ating lahi. Tayong lahat ay Pilipino. Pilipino sa diwa; Pilipino sa dugo,” Marcos said.
(My fellow Filipinos, with these threats against our security, inside and outside our country, we should take a stand with heads held high and unite. Because we may have our differences, but we are one nation. We are all Filipino. Filipino in spirit, and in blood.)
“Sa bagay na ito, hindi tayo magkaka-tunggali. Tayo ay magkakabigkis — tulad ng ating pinamalas sa ating buong kasaysayan. Sa mga pang-aalipusta, hindi tayo matitinag. Sa manlulupig, hindi tayo pasisiil.”
(With this issue, we should not fight. We should unite — just as we have done in the past. To those who taunt us, we will not budge. To those who oppress us, we will not yield.)
Marcos did not directly address the AI-generated caricature of China Daily, hinting at a “common threat” that is directed against the dignity and self-respect of the Filipino people.
“Of late, our very humanity has been called into question. Let me remind our friends and our detractors: Filipinos are a noble, kind, gracious, and great race,” Marcos said.
“We are not greedy. We are not racists. We are not liars. We are respectful, and we are dignified. We are Filipinos, and we do not yield.”
Last July 10, state media China Daily published an AI-generated video which portrayed the Philippines as a monkey controlled by the US and Japan.
The video coincided with the 10th anniversary of the Arbitral Ruling. The Department of Foreign Affairs shortly after filed a diplomatic protest.