PBBM, iginiit ang pag-iral ng independent foreign policy ng Pilipinas
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00:00 President Ferdinand R. Barcos Jr. once again undermined the Philippines' right to the West Philippine Sea.
00:07 The President has boldly stated this in front of the leaders who attended the ASEAN-Australia Special Summit.
00:14 Alan Francisco is back.
00:16 The Philippines' independent foreign policy is still in progress,
00:21 along with the progress of peace while the national interest is still in the air.
00:25 This is clear from the way the country is looking at the alliance with the United States and moving away from China.
00:32 This is what President Ferdinand R. Barcos Jr. gave in the question and answer segment
00:37 after his speech at the Lowy Institute in Melbourne, Australia yesterday.
00:41 But let me make it very, very clear.
00:43 The Philippines acts for its own interests.
00:47 And the decisions that we make when it comes to foreign policy
00:52 are decisions that we make because we believe and are convinced and know that it is in the national interest.
01:00 So it really goes back to a rejection by the Philippines of the regression into the old bipolar Cold War formula,
01:19 wherein the smaller countries such as the Philippines were basically forced into choosing.
01:28 You choose to be with the United States or with the Soviet Union.
01:31 And in a way, it was a simpler time and it was easier perhaps for countries to make that decision.
01:38 That is no longer relevant. That no longer applies.
01:41 Even so, President R. Barcos made it clear that his influence in China still persists since the 1970s.
01:48 Likewise, the nation's influence in the United States.
01:52 I've always wanted to make it clear because there is a narrative out there that is going around
01:59 that we are at the beck and call practically of the United States
02:04 when it comes to these foreign policy decisions especially surrounding the South China Sea.
02:09 In President R. Barcos' message at the same event at the Lowy Institute,
02:13 he again minimized the Philippines' unchanging position in the South China Sea.
02:17 At the same time, centuries of friendship and kinship bind the Filipino and Chinese people.
02:24 We pursue with the People's Republic of China comprehensive strategic cooperation
02:29 founded on mutual respect and mutual benefit.
02:34 Our independent foreign policy compels us to cooperate with them on matters where our interests align,
02:41 to respectfully disagree on areas where our views differ,
02:47 and to push back when our sworn principles such as our sovereignty, our sovereign rights,
02:53 and our jurisdiction in the West Philippine Sea are questioned or ignored.
02:58 His position in the West Philippine Sea is part of his sworn duty as the President of the country.
03:05 This is even though there are many incidents in the South China Sea.
03:09 It is unfortunate that despite the clarity provided by international law,
03:15 provocative, unilateral, and illegal actions continue to infringe upon our sovereignty,
03:21 our sovereign rights, our jurisdictions.
03:25 This pattern of aggression obstructs our path towards ASEAN's vision of the South China Sea
03:33 as a sea of peace, stability, and of prosperity.
03:38 We simply have no choice.
03:40 We must defend the territory of the Republic.
03:44 And that is a primordial duty of a leader.
03:49 In the same speaking engagement, Australian Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles
03:54 praised President Marcos following the Philippines' economy's steady growth
03:59 in his position amid the crisis.
04:02 Emerging from the pandemic, a key focus for President Marcos has been his economy.
04:08 And being very proactive on that as we began this year,
04:11 inflation was reducing and in terms of economic growth,
04:16 there was no stronger economy than the Philippines in Southeast Asia.
04:21 In January, the Philippine Statistics Authority said that inflation
04:26 or the rise in purchases this December 2023 compared to November 2023.
04:31 Australian Deputy Prime Minister also acknowledged President Marcos' decision
04:35 to lead the Agriculture Department as a political mission
04:40 to make the country use self-sufficiency.
04:42 Australian officials also praised the President for the Philippines' performance
04:46 in the entire economy of the countries in Southeast Asia.
04:50 Especially when the President mentioned that economic security is a national security.
04:54 From Melbourne, Australia, Alan Francisco for Pambansang TV in Bagong, Philippines.