‘Friend to all, enemy to none’: Marcos vows to safeguard Philippine territory in national address
SMA NEWS – MANILA
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Monday vowed to safeguard Philippine territory against foreign powers while also promising that the country would continue to be a “friend to all,” in his first address to the nation as its new leader.
Marcos, who scored a landslide victory in May’s presidential election and was sworn in on June 30, had promised to open a new chapter in the country’s history and said that his administration would pursue an independent foreign policy.
In a comprehensive policy speech to Congress that was screened live on television, Marcos said he would create jobs and support growth by improving tourism, education, and modernizing agriculture, while also touching on plans for infrastructure developments, tax overhaul, and climate-change mitigation.
He pointed out that the Philippines’ foreign policy would remain independent, with its national interest serving as a “primordial guide.”
“The Philippines shall continue to be a friend to all, and an enemy to none,” he added.
“I will not preside over any process that will abandon even one square inch of territory of the Republic of the Philippines to any foreign power.”
The statement, likely alluding to the Philippines’ historic run-ins with Beijing in the South China Sea, drew a lengthy applause from Congress.
