Shangri-La Dialogue: Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr's keynote speech

Summary

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. delivered a keynote address emphasizing the Philippines' commitment to peace, sovereignty, and international law. He highlighted the importance of ASEAN centrality, regional cooperation, and adherence to international legal frameworks like the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. Marcos discussed the strategic competition between the US and China, the significance of maintaining peace in the South China Sea, and the Philippines' defense modernization efforts. He reaffirmed the country's dedication to multilateralism, climate action, and the peaceful resolution of disputes.

Takeaways

• 🗣️ President Marcos delivered a keynote address emphasizing peace, sovereignty, and regional stability.
• 🤝 He thanked the International Institute for Strategic Studies and the government of Singapore for hosting the dialogue.
• 📜 The Philippines' commitment to international law and the rule of law was highlighted, referencing historical treaties and conventions.
• 🌊 Marcos discussed the importance of defining maritime zones according to international law, particularly UNCLOS and the 2016 arbitral award.
• 🇵🇭 The president reaffirmed the Philippines' stance on protecting its maritime domain and sovereignty in the West Philippine Sea.
• 🌍 He emphasized the significance of a rules-based international order for regional peace and stability.
• 🛡️ The strategic competition between China and the United States and its impact on regional security was addressed.
• 🌐 ASEAN centrality was underscored as crucial for regional cooperation and stability.
• 🔬 Technological advancements and climate change were identified as major challenges for the region.
• 🤲 Marcos called for collective action and diplomacy to address regional and global issues, highlighting the Philippines' role as a bridge-builder.

Q & A

What is the main theme of President Federal Marcus, junr's keynote address?

The main theme of President Federal Marcus, junr's keynote address is the commitment to peace, the rule of law, and the importance of maintaining regional stability and cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region.

What does the term 'Shanga' symbolize in the context of the speech?

In the context of the speech, 'Shanga' symbolizes a mystical sense of tranquility and harmony, representing the continuing dream of an international community that lives in peace, upholds the rule of law, and enables all nations to thrive.

How does the Philippine President emphasize the importance of international law in defining the country's sovereignty?

The Philippine President emphasizes the importance of international law by discussing how the Philippines has defined its territory and maritime zones in accordance with international treaties and the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), thus preserving the integrity of the country's physical unity.

Outlines

00:00

🏛️ Upholding International Peace and Sovereignty

The Philippine President, Federal Marcus Jr., emphasizes the importance of peace, harmony, and the rule of law in international relations. He discusses the historical efforts of the Philippines to establish its sovereignty and maritime zones in accordance with international treaties and the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). The President also contrasts the Philippines' adherence to international law with the aggressive actions of other nations in the South China Sea and pledges to protect the country's sovereignty and maritime rights as defined by law.

05:00

🕊️ Commitment to Regional and Global Peace

President Federal Marcus Jr. renews the Philippines' commitment to regional and global peace and stability. He highlights ongoing diplomatic efforts and collaborations with neighboring countries and international organizations to promote mutual respect and cooperation.

Keywords

💡Strategic Issues

Strategic issues refer to significant matters that impact the long-term planning and policy of a nation or region. In the video, the Philippine president discusses pressing strategic issues confronting the region, emphasizing the importance of addressing these challenges through open and constructive dialogue to ensure peace and stability.

💡Archipelagic Doctrine

The archipelagic doctrine is a principle of international law that regards all archipelagic states as a single unit, with the waters around, between, and connecting their islands forming part of their internal waters. The president mentions this doctrine in the context of defining the Philippines' territory and maritime zones in accordance with international law.

💡United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS)

UNCLOS is a treaty that outlines the rights and responsibilities of nations in their use of the world's oceans and their resources. It is mentioned in the script as the basis for defining the limits of maritime zones and the extent of sovereignty and jurisdiction over these zones, which is crucial for the Philippines' territorial claims.

💡West Philippine Sea

The West Philippine Sea is a part of the South China Sea claimed by the Philippines. The president discusses the importance of protecting the integrity of this area as part of the country's sovereign territory and the need to uphold international law in this regard.

Highlights

President Federal Marcus, junr emphasizes the importance of peace, rule of law, and international community values.

The Philippine president discusses the historical commitment to amity, fraternity, and sovereign equality among nations.

The arch

Transcripts

and Philippine president Federal Marcus

junr is delivering his keynote address

let's take a listen right now a very

kind and thorough introduction our prime

minister Lawrence swong senior Minister

lisen long uh Sir John Chipman of course

your excellencies ladies and

gentlemen I Thank The International

Institute for strategic studies for

convening this open Frank and

constructive conversation on pressing

strategic issues confronting our region

I also thank the government of Singapore

especially prime minister Wong and

Senior Minister Lee for providing an

environment that is conducive to this

dialogue the notion of shanga conjures

up a mystical sense of Tranquility of

free Souls living in peace and Harmony

and it may sound like a Wishful concept

but is but it is symbolic of a

continuing dream an International

Community that lives in peace upholds

the rule of law and enables All Nations

to thrive in pursuit of their respective

aspirations we Filipinos are Paragons of

this dream our history reflects our

commitment to the values that engender

Amity fraternity and Sovereign equality

amongst Nations our commitment to peace

and to the rule of law inheres in how we

have defined our Sovereign home when we

established our common in

1935 we put together a constitution that

defined our territory in accordance with

the international treaties that became

the basis of our archipelagic Unity the

Treaty of Paris between Spain and the

United States crystallized our Islands

into a cohesive hold the Treaty of

Washington clarified the extent of our

sovereignty and patrimony and a line set

by International Powers we sought to

uphold and Preserve pres ve the

Integrity of our country's physical

Unity through international law together

with others we put forward the

archipelagic doctrine which regards all

archipelagic states as a single unit

with the waters around between and

connecting their Islands irrespective of

their breadth and dimension forming part

of their internal Waters this Doctrine

has since been enshrined in the 1982

United Nations convention on the law of

the sea or the

incross the same convention also

clarified the limits of each State's

Maritime zones and Define the extent

with which they could exercise

sovereignty their Sovereign rights and

jurisdiction over those zones

accordingly we have made a conscious

effort to align our definition of our

territory and our Maritime zones with

what international law permits and

recognizes this has been inscribed in

article one of our

constitution as Senator I was proud to

co-sponsor our archipelagic baselines

law which defines the basis of our

Maritime

jurisdictions as president I look

forward to signing our Maritime zones

law which will clarify the geographic

extent of our Maritime domain our

efforts stand in stark contrast to

assertive actions that aim to propagate

excessive and base claims to force

intimidation and deception in the west

Philippine Sea we are on the front lines

of efforts to assert the Integrity of

the Unos as a constitution of the oceans

we have defined our territory and

Maritime zones in a manner befitting a

responsible and law-abiding member of

the International Community we have

submitted our assertions to rigorous

legal scrutiny by the world's leading

jurist so the lines that we draw in our

waters are not derived from just our

imagination but from international law

we have on our side the 1982 Unos and

The Binding 2016 arbitral award which

affirms what is Ours by legal

right in our 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 lifegiving Waters of the West

Philippine Sea flow in the blood of

every Filipino we cannot allow anyone to

detach it from the totality of the

maritime domain that renders our nation

whole as president I have sworn to this

solemn commitment from the very first

day that I took office I do not intend

to yield Filipinos do not yield ladies

and gentlemen we are not only un

yielding and protecting our patrimony

our rights and our dignity as a proud

and as a free country we are also firm

in our commitment to Regional and Global

Peace we renew this commitment at this

turbulent juncture of our history I will

repeat what I said at the United Nations

almost 2 years ago amidst challenging

Global Tides an important balance

stabilizes our common vessel our open

inclusive and rules-based international

order is governed by international law

and informed by the principles of equity

and of justice for the past 79 years

this rules based order has allowed our

region to flourish the stability and the

predict the predictability that it has

that in has engendered has been crucial

to the success of the stories of our

region be it the the postwar Revival of

Japan the economic miracles of Korea in

South and in Southeast Asia the rise of

China and of India when this world order

was built in

1945 our forebears vowed to make the

floors of the United Nations the last

Battlefield we made a determination for

Humanity to survive and to never again

be wiped out in another

Holocaust the Philippines has always

been part of that history amidst the

rubble of War we were there amongst the

architects of the new peace we stood on

behalf of colonized peoples of Africa

and Asia we opposed attempts to dilute

the inviolability of the right to

self-determination we helped enshrine

the right to Independence in the charter

of the United Nations in 1982 we LED our

Global community in unanimously adopting

the Manila Declaration on the peaceful

settlement of disputes this affirm that

differences amongst Nations must always

be solved peacefully through legal and

diplomatic processes never through the

through the threat or the use of force

today these Norms are under significant

stress the world is facing a watershed

moment in our region recent patterns of

aggression and militarization and

emerging arms races threaten our lands

of promise with an uncertain future in

the midst of these significant shifts I

see seven realities in the Indo Pacific

first the future of our region will be

determined by many nations each with its

own unique experiences and aspirations

yet their respective agencies are being

challenged by attempts to undermine our

faith in prevailing International

Norms second the strategic competition

between China and the United States is

permeating the evolving Regional

landscape

this rivalry is constraining the

Strategic choices of regional States

this contest is exacerbating flash

points and has created new security

dilemas third the region looks to asan

as the institution that will hold the

center amidst these evolving Dynamics

yet challenges threat threaten our unity

and our

centrality fourth as geop politics

continues to permeate the global

governance infrastructure the role of

bridge Builders have become increasingly

important to forge decisive multilateral

Solutions fifth the Global Commons will

continue to be crucial to the security

of all states in the

region access of developing countries to

the high seas and to outer space and the

peaceful uses of Science and

Technologies is crucial to International

Development

six climate change remains a deadly

challenge for the region and for the

world it is the first truly Global

threat and for the first time we Face a

crisis that affects every single human

being on Earth and requires action from

every single human being as

well and finally the development of

Advanced Technologies is rapidly

transforming human life and experience

these technologies will solve many of

our old problems but they are so

powerful that they also have the

potential to disrupt our political and

our social

orders these seven realities muddle the

waters that we have to navigate in our

Collective Journey as a community of

Nations we cannot reverse course we must

persevere we must push through the

current juncture does not call for a

revision of the regional order instead

it calls for the reaffirmation of the

wisdom of San Francisco in

1945 of Bangkok in

1967 and of Manila in 1982 Let Us return

to San Francisco and reaffirm the

Sovereign equality of all states we must

reject unjust narratives that seek to

subsume distinct National interest in

the so-called major country Dynamic

which seeks to impose a hierarchy

amongst Nations those who came before us

work painstakingly throughout the last

centur to bury the era of spheres of

influence and of buffer States we should

not allow its ghost to haunt our region

once again let us also return to Bangkok

and support Asian's effort to build a

rules-based

intern people oriented and centered on

Regional Community any state that

professes a stake in in the continued

peace and stability of this region must

respect Asian centrality not only with

words but with action all Partnerships

and Arrangements must never displace or

or delute but rather uphold and

complement Asian's Central role so let

us return as well to Manila and reaffirm

our common understanding of how

international law governs the peaceful

settlement of disputes amidst misleading

narratives that seek to discredit

International legal procedures there is

a need to reaffirm those those

modalities are that those modalities are

an expression of good faith they are a

service to the progressive development

and codification of international law

they are never an unfriendly act ladies

and gentlemen the past inspires the

needed Clarity and foresight to confront

the challenges of the present and to

build the future to which we all Aspire

from the achievements of San Francisco

Bangkok Manila we as a region draw our

abiding Compass first The Sovereign

equality of states must remain

sacran second Asian and Asian Le

processes must remain Central third the

rule of law and the Integrity of

multilateralism must

Prevail these three constants guide our

efforts to prepare ourselves for the

challenges ahead we need to begin by

resoundingly rejecting misguided

interpretations that paint our region as

a mere theater of geopolitical rivalries

We Are Not Mere bystanders to unfolding

world events we are the actors that

drive those events we are the main

characters in our Collective story we

are the owners of the narratives of our

regional Community thus we reject any

attempt to deny strategic agencies

especially by force that seek to

subordinate our interest to anyone

else's China China's determining

influence over the security situation

and the economic evolution of this

region is a permanent fact at the same

time the stabilizing presence of the

United States is crucial to Regional

peace it's never a choice both countries

are

important the continued stability of

this region requires China and the

United States to manage that rivalry in

a responsible manner pending the total

elimination of nuclear weapons China and

the United States have a unique

responsibility to undertake concrete

measures to reverse the recent increase

in nuclear stock piles and to alleviate

the risks of nuclear Conflict for a long

time nuclear disarmament the the nuclear

disarmament discourse has focused on the

Euro Atlantic together with our

strategic Partners Australia and Japan

the Philippines has been seeking to

bring Indo Pacific issues to the for we

promote OTE nuclear risk reduction in

the region through the Asian Regional

Forum we push for the negotiations for a

file material cut off treaty at the

United Nations we will not waver in

these efforts our work towards a world

free of nuclear weapons is rooted in our

desire to extinguish the last vestiges

of the Cold War yet the danger of

regional regression towards Cold War

thinking has never been more pronounced

it has become even more crucial for us

to assert that the future of our region

will be driven not by one or two

powerful countries but by all of us

peace security and stability are the

business of all countries the interest

and responsibilities of all states and

the community of Nations must always be

acknowledged all our voices must be

equally heard as a Pacific Nation the

Philippines shares with our Eastern King

the same experience of a climate

vulnerable country it is clear to us

that the Pacific island states must

become part of any meaningful discussion

regarding the future of our region it's

time to put the Pacific back into

indopacific we also share with South

Asia States similar aspirations as

rapidly growing economies their

continued development rests upon the

maintenance of peace and stability in

the Indian Ocean region in the same Vein

The Economic Security of East Asia

depends upon the freedom of navigation

and unimpeded passage in the South China

Sea and in the East China Sea and the

stability of the Korean Peninsula and

the Taiwan

straight by virtue of geographic

proximity and the presence of Filipinos

in Taiwan we have a legitimate interest

in Cross trade issues these Phil the

Filipino people have a long history of

fraternal bonds with the people on both

sides of the Taiwan constate peace and

stability must Prevail therefore we

continue to urge all parties to ex

exercise restraint on the issue lasting

peace in the Korean Peninsula on the

other hand is a collective

responsibility of the entire region the

dprk must comply with all its

International obligations under relevant

un Security Council resolutions and

commit to constructive and peaceful

dialogue with the Republic of Korea

finally

any effort to resolve Maritime

differences in the East China Sea and

the South China Sea must be anchored on

international law particularly Unos

Accord that the Accord that and we must

Accord due regard to the legitimate

interest of all parties and respect

legally settled rights we cannot afford

any other future for the South China Sea

other than the one envisioned by Asia

that of a sea of peace

stability and

prosperity unfortunately this Vision

remains for now a distant reality

illegal coercive aggressive and

deceptive actions continue to violate

our sovereignty Sovereign rights and

jurisdictions attempts to apply domestic

laws and regulation Beyond one's

territory and jurisdiction violate

international law exacerbate tensions

and undermine Regional peace and

security but despite all this the

Philippines remains committed to the

cause of peace upon which our

constitutional order is premised we are

committed to addressing and managing

difficult issues through dialogue and

through diplomacy the 1982 un Claus and

the binding 2016 16 arbitral award

provid a solid foundation for the

peaceful resolution and management of

disputes our policy in the South China

Sea is built upon the these two

touchstones we will continue to work

with Asian and China towards an

effective and substantive code of

conduct one that is firmly mored in Unos

as the world second largest archipelagic

Nation we have more seas and land in our

territory we are among 18 Mega diverse

countries in the world and we have the

fourth longest National Coastline we

will continue to build upon our

significant footprint in enriching Unos

the convention on biological diversity

and the high seas

treaty as we work to uphold the rule of

law in international Affairs so shall we

build our capabilities to protect our

interest in our own Maritime domain and

in the Global Commons under our

comprehensive archipelagic defense

concept we shall develop our capacity to

project our forces into areas where we

must by constitutional Duty and by legal

right protect our interest and preserve

our

patrimony and as we build our defense

capabilities so shall we continue to

invest in diplomacy our commitment to

asan centrality shall remain a core

element of our foreign policy at the

same time we shall strengthen our

alliance with the United States and our

strategic Partnerships with Australia

Japan Vietnam brunai and all the other

member states of Asia we will also

pursue more robust collaboration in

friends such as the Republic of Korea

India amongst others collaborative

Endeavors among a few states that share

specific interests built into pillars

that support the architecture of

regional stability it is in this spirit

that we pursue trilateral collaboration

with Indonesia and Malaysia in the

celebus sea it is the same rationale

behind our broader cooperation with

Australia Japan and the United States in

our exclusive economic zone last month

the Philippines Japan and the United

States adopted our joint vision

statement on enhancing economic

cooperation and contributing to Regional

peace and security through trilateral

cooperation these Partnerships reflect

our commitment to preserving defending

and strengthening the rules based

Regional order and yet the scope the

depth the breadth of the challenge that

our region now faces requires are

collective are inclusive and our

decisive action addressing the realities

of our regional security landscape

requires a greater Collective political

will let us Begin by realizing the

vision set for us by leaders past in

1976 five leaders of Southeast Asia

including my father signed the Treaty of

Amity and cooperation in the southeast

Asia or the

TAC this Landmark treaty is meant to

promote Perpetual peace ever lasting

Amity and cooperation amongst Nations

its goal is to contribute to their

strength the solidarity and closer

relationship the tac's provisions were

relevant then and they remain relevant

to this day it is no wonder then that

the 54 parties from all regions of the

world many of which are represented in

this dialogue have now exceeded to this

Landmark instrument with nearly a dozen

more countries expressing their desire

to be bound by the tac's tenants

this indicates that all stakeholders in

the future of this region are committed

to peace it is timely for parties to

consider how this treaty can help

address the geopolitical and geoeconomic

issues facing the region today and the

looming challenges ahead so as we look

to the Future let us Breathe new life

into this Noble purpose and the

principles of this

treaties ladies and gentlemen beyond the

regional Horizon we recognize the

importance of upholding

multilateralism it Remains the single

viable platform for Collective action

against Transcendent Global challenges

we must therefore step back from the

precipice of paralysis we should

transcend geopolitics find common ground

work to strengthen Global institutions

this requires active leadership in the

part of middle Powers which have the

capacity to cross political and

ideological lines Forge genuine

consensus and Lead credible efforts

towards decisive multilateral Solutions

I am proud of the philippines's efforts

to build bridges on issues ranging from

climate action to disarmament non and

nonproliferation from sustainable

development to Equitable Global Health

cooperation in all our multilateral

engagements we seek to bridge Global

conversations with our unique Regional

perspectives just as indopacific states

must Det determine our own destiny so

too must we be active participants in

charting the future of the world we must

shape the rules we must build those

bridges it is it is in this context that

we are actively seeking to amplify

indopacific voices in the context of

global conversations on the issue of

lethal autonomous weapon systems we

likewise seek Regional consensus

regarding the development of norms of

responsible behavior in outer space and

in cyber space we will bring our

experience as a trusted partner credible

Pathfinder and committed Peacemaker when

elected to the United Nations security

Council for the term of 2027 to

2028 my country has come a long way in

our painstaking often difficult but

steady Journey towards the Fulfillment

of our people's aspirations despite

daunting challenges and our incre

inreasing vulnerabilities we remain on

track to achieve our goal of a high

income e economy and a prosperous

country by the year

2040 a place where Filipinos live

strongly rooted comfortable and secure

lives our strong potentials come with an

inevitable rise in our Global standing

just as we have done in the past we will

embrace our role in this region and

around the world with a sense of purpose

we are determined to be a force for the

good a force for peace a champion of

regional and Global Unity a staunch

defender of the rules-based

international order the Indo Pacific

holds much promise as a fastest growing

economic Hub and the largest contributor

to Global growth that premise must be

kept alive furthermore that promise must

be

fulfilled geopolitics must not distract

us from our fundamental Duty as civil

servants as public intellectuals as

Statesmen to deliver for our people and

to safeguard the future of the coming

Generations this is the reason why we

strive for stability for security and

for peace this ladies and gentlemen is

our core purpose our Collective

commitment our calling it is for this

most noble of causes that we must come

together to win the future of our region

and to make a better world and with your

help with with our Partnerships with the

alliances that we Forge we will make it

happen thank you and good

evening thank you very much for an

inspiring address you've been kind

enough to uh take perhaps two or three

questions so I will scan the room and

see if an arm is raised or a hand uh or

another gesture there we are we the if

you were to stand up Sir a microphone

will come to you may I remind you that

we need a question and take no more than

60 seconds if you can as will your

successor thank you thank you very much

shair give me this wonderful chance to

ask a question to our president Mr

President

I noticed in your speech you mentioned

many times about aan sensuality you

review the TC which your father signed

that show the bond of

aan I think the aan centrality is very

important but it's not we cannot take it

for granted it comes

actually comes from the Asing way the

three principles First Mutual respect

second consensus building third

considerate other

parties Comfort level in my words to put

it simply we can summarize it as three

notes non intervention a non use of

force and know happing up hot spots only

because of these principle strictly

followed by our members and other

stakeholders that we have in ured the

aan and East Asia at

large for a longlasting peace since the

end of the Colonials rules in history so

we cherish a lot I fully agree with you

I support the centrality arene and even

some Professor like uh casan Mar casan

marbon he suggest AR is deserved to

award a Peace Nobel Peace Prize I agree

with him thank you very much I think uh

your question is do you agree with me so

president marus please my question is

president in the eyes of the

International Community some of your

Philippines behavior in recent day

recent times it now sounds like you

really considered other parties Comfort

level and there was a risk of ruin the

regional long earned longlasting peace

since the end of of the you know

colonist history what's your comments on

that thank you very much well I uh I

cannot imagine what you must be

referring to if the uh if the reference

or the illusion is to uh the Philippines

uh uh

somehow uh tearing apart uh the what we

have agreed on with in as in in in in

terms of asan centrality uh quite the

contrary I think the I think if you uh

uh examine more closely the remarks that

I just made we I precisely uh focus on

Asian centrality and that the principles

that are laid down that are involved in

the the concept of asan centrality are

something that we must use to guide us

and if we have been distracted in the

past years or so then it's time for us

to return and remember once again what

Azon was created for and that is to

create an AG agation of Nations uh that

have very many uh common interest and

that can be and that partners and

Partnerships within that multilateral

that multilateral organization can help

each other and help the region and so uh

the Philippines is still uh as Still

Remains true to the principles that uh

we

established and upon which asan was born

and I think as I said that many of these

things there were we we no longer speak

of today but we must because they are as

relevant that today as they ever were

perhaps even more so because the global

the global uh situation is a great deal

more complicated than it used to be

before uh I would I would even go far as

to say there is no such thing as a

regional issue any longer uh we have all

experien the the

unexpected effects of the war in Ukraine

of the conflict in in in the Middle East

uh and uh all of these and in the when

we talk about the South China Sea we

have to also remember that the South

China Sea is is the passageway for for

half of the World Trade and therefore

the peace and stability of the South

chin and the freedom of navigation of

South China Sea is a world issue and

that is what I am proposing and I am

saying that this is a re this is yes it

is a regional issue but we must examine

and be part of the discussion we must

include uh all parties in the discussion

because now it is not just Asian member

states who are stakeholders and it is

quite uh it is quite easy to see that it

is in fact the entire world that have

become stakeholders in the peace and

stability of our region thank you I'll

take one question yes you sir with your

hand up if you stand up it might attract

magnetically a microphone towards you uh

thank you very much and immediately

after your question once you've

identified yourself I'll ask a third

person for the final question the

president will take birth thank you sir

uh thank you John it's Demetri sasto

from the Irish delegation of two people

um another small country um president

Marcos I'm going to ask you a very

direct question if you don't mind which

is if Chinese Coast Guard water cannons

killed a Filipino sailor would that

cross a red line and then can you also

give us a sense of what are the actions

that would trigger a request from Manila

to Washington to invoke the US

Philippines Mutual defense treaty thank

you and I will ask as the last question

Justin

bakal yes if you could stand I know you

sought the floor and if a microphone

were to come to you uh you're right over

there thank

you and the president will then

answer both questions thank you you're

one of our young leaders from Asen so

please go ahead magang gab Mr President

good evening uh Mr President um my

question relates to your your vision for

the force posture of the Philippines by

the end of your term so the Philippines

has always discussed that the defense of

our national territory is primarily our

responsibility under the um unilateral

defense plan so what specific um Force

packages are you eyeing particularly in

the next coming years and what exactly

are we to expect after Horizon 3 of the

AFP modernization program thank you

thank you uh well uh I I just a the what

the gentleman is referring to the

Horizon 3 acquisition program is the

acquisition program that the uh that the

the department our Department of

National Defense has just completed uh

then we are presently in the in the

process of finding suppliers for all the

different uh uh requirements that we

that we have to build up uh our

capabilities in the in the the Armed

Forces um of the Philippines and that

that uh that will that we are hoping uh

that you know the these are these these

these uh acts are just a deterrence uh

and we as they say to to to to work for

peace prepare for war and there is it is

an unfortunate truth but uh and that is

why we have uh we have undertaken this

long term it it has been going on for

many years now this long long-term plan

of increasing the capabilities of our um

of our military uh and uh our civilian

such as the Coast Guard uh in the in the

Philippines to go back to the very to

the first question uh what will it what

would happen if uh the um uh if uh there

was an incident that ended up killing a

Filipino serviceman be them be they a a

a coast guard

or um um in the military part of the

Navy well that that would be uh especi

that that would certainly uh increase

the the level of uh response and uh if

by by a willful act on uh uh a

Filipino uh not only not only servicemen

but even a Filipino citizen by a well if

one if a Filipino ciitizen is killed by

a willful act that that is I think uh

very very close to what we Define as an

act of war and therefore we will respond

accordingly and our treaty Partners I

believe also hold that same standard for

uh when the actions with the joint

action will be uh undertaken uh in

support of any kind any such incident in

the the Philippines they once they once

we we have already we already have

suffered injury but uh thank God we have

not yet uh uh gotten to the point where

any of our participants civilian or

otherwise have been killed but uh once

we get to that point that is certainly

we would have crossed the Rubicon

certainly cross the Rubicon is that a

red line almost certainly it's going to

be a red line Mr president you have

helped us to set the agenda you have

provoked our thinking you've spurred us

to action that is the keynote speech

that we needed that is the keynote

speech that we got you have sung for

your supper I think it's time for you to

enjoy it thank you sir thank you