In his state of the nation speech, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said the Philippines would use every peaceful and legal means to uphold the 2016 South China Sea arbitration award, declaring Filipinos “do not yield.”
The pledge followed a China Daily video and cartoons depicting Filipinos as monkeys; Manila condemned the AI-generated images as racist and dehumanizing, while Beijing again called the arbitration award “illegal, null and void.”
Marcos also said a special anti-graft prosecutor would soon file charges against former House Speaker Martin Romualdez, his cousin and ally, over a flood-control kickback scandal.
Nearly 25 billion pesos, or about $410 million, in cash and properties tied to corruption suspects have been recovered or frozen, Marcos said, as his administration widens the case.
He also floated revisiting nuclear power to bolster energy security after fuel-price shocks linked to the war in Iran, broadening a speech centered on sovereignty, corruption and economic strain.