PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s speech at the 21st IISS Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore on May 31 was a cogent and firm statement of the Philippines' position on the South China Sea and the need to maintain peace and stability in the region by upholding international law.First, he emphasized that Filipinos are a peaceful people, committed to the values that engender amity, fraternity and sovereign equality among nations.
'So, the lines that we draw on our waters are not derived from just our imagination, but from international law,' he said. 'We have on our side the 1982 Unclos and the binding 2016 Arbitral Award, which affirm what is ours by legal right.''In this solid footing and through our clear moral ascendancy, we find the strength to do whatever it takes to protect our sovereign home — to the last square inch, to the last square millimeter,' the President said.