Philippine president slams China in veiled rebuke in his state of the nation speech

MANILA, Philippines (AP) 鈥� Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. denounced China in a veiled rebuke Monday in his state of the nation speech, vowing that his government will defend a that invalidated Beijing鈥檚 expansive claims in the , and saying that Filipinos 鈥渄o not yield鈥� to conquerors.

On domestic issues, Marcos disclosed that a special anti-graft prosecutor would soon file charges against former House of Representatives Speaker Martin Romualdez, who has been implicated in a that the president exposed in his state of the nation speech last year.

Marcos highlighted China after media editorial he called racist

Marcos did not mention China by name or elaborate on his criticism of Beijing, which was applauded by many lawmakers. He said that 鈥渙f late, our very humanity has been called into question鈥� and reminded detractors that 鈥淔ilipinos are a noble 鈥� and a great race. We are not greedy. We are not racists. We are not liars.鈥�

Marcos summoned Chinese Ambassador Jing Quan to his office in Manila last week after the China Daily, a Chinese state-owned media outlet, depicted Filipinos as monkeys in an editorial video and cartoons. The animations centered on Beijing鈥檚 rejection of the arbitration ruling that invalidated China鈥檚 claims in the South China Sea.

The Philippine government strongly condemned the AI-generated images as 鈥渞acist and dehumanizing鈥� and demanded that they be taken down.

In Beijing, however, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said last week that the video 鈥渄oes not represent the official position and I have no comment on it.鈥�

He said, however, that China viewed the South China Sea arbitration as 鈥渁 political farce disguised as a legal proceeding.鈥� He added that 鈥渢he so-called award is illegal, null and void and has no binding force,鈥� reiterating China鈥檚 longstanding position.

Marcos said the ruling, which he said was final and binding, was a 鈥渄efinitive benchmark for the interpretation and application鈥� of the 1982 U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea, which was the basis of the decision. The Philippines initiated the arbitration in 2013 after a tense standoff between Chinese and Philippine ships in a disputed shoal, but China refused to participate and rejected the decision as a sham.

鈥淵our 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,鈥� Marcos said, adding that Filipinos 鈥渄o not yield.鈥�

Territorial confrontations in the disputed waters have become more prevalent in recent years, particularly among Chinese, Philippine and Vietnamese forces and fishing fleets. The long-simmering disputes in the strategic waterway, a key global trade route, also involve Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan.

Marcos says being family won’t protect his cousin and ally

Marcos did not identify Romualdez, his cousin and key political ally, by name but was obviously referring to him when speaking about the corruption charges to be filed.

鈥淭his is painful to me, but we have to do the right thing,鈥� Marcos said. 鈥淚鈥檓 not a president for my family. I鈥檓 not a president for my friend.鈥�

Romualdez, who resigned as House speaker last year but remains as a member of Congress, reiterated in a statement that he did not violate the law and he was ready to prove it.

Romualdez, along with several House members and senators, was accused of pocketing huge kickbacks from flood control projects in government and congressional investigations. Others have been charged and detained for large-scale corruption, including an incumbent and a former senator, a former public works secretary, who served under Marcos, and several government engineers and construction company executives, but to date not Romualdez.

Nearly 25 billion pesos’ ($410 million) worth of cash and properties belonging to some of the suspects have been recovered or frozen by the government and some have been returned to the national treasury, Marcos said.

Marcos suggested Philippines should now reconsider nuclear power

Marcos also spoke at length about his administration鈥檚 efforts to cushion the impact of fuel price hikes caused by the war in Iran for ordinary Filipinos. In a bid to boost energy security, Marcos said that 鈥減erhaps it is time for us to revisit nuclear energy production.鈥�

鈥淲e will make sure it鈥檚 safe,鈥� Marcos said, without elaborating. 鈥淲e will also make sure that we can explain well to the public the good benefits of nuclear power.鈥�

The Philippines built its first and only , a coastal province in an earthquake-prone region about 120 kilometers (75 miles) northwest of Manila, in the 1970s but it was left idle due to safety concerns and corruption.

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