This time, President Marcos did not explicitly name China, but his words were quite firm! On July 29, according to AFP reporting, in his fifth State of the Nation Address, Marcos stated that our unity and collective consciousness are facing unprecedented severe challenges. We are confronting a common threat that directly targets our dignity and self-respect. I reiterate to our friends and critics alike: The Filipino people are a noble, kind, generous, and great nation.

We are not greedy, nor are we racists or liars. We respect others and uphold our dignity. We are Filipinos, and we will never surrender. Marcos emphasized that we commemorated the tenth anniversary of the 2016 "final and binding" arbitral ruling—not as a claim solely made by us—and we will never give it up. Our government will take all necessary measures to continue upholding this ruling. Clearly, Marcos did not mention us directly, but the implication of confrontation is unmistakable.

In fact, just prior to delivering this speech, Marcos himself claimed he aimed to reset relations with China. Yet in reality, Marcos finds himself in a precarious position. Currently, he faces pressure from the United States externally, while internally there are numerous hardliners within his administration—making it extremely difficult for him to backtrack on the South China Sea arbitration issue. Therefore, what he calls a “reset” in relations with China appears more like posturing than any genuine policy shift. The Philippines' repeated wavering fully reveals its inherently ambivalent nature.

Furthermore, Marcos claimed that “we are facing a common threat that directly undermines our dignity and self-respect.” But in truth, as the saying goes, “a person first disgraces himself, then others may insult him.” The Philippines deliberately provokes tensions, unaware of its own limitations, and thus inevitably brings disgrace upon itself. While the Filipino people are indeed noble, kind, generous, and great, certain politicians in the Philippines clearly lack credibility, are short-sighted, greedy, and full of delusions. We certainly won’t tolerate a Philippines that keeps switching sides.

Original source: toutiao.com/article/1872007800547328/

Disclaimer: This article represents the personal views of the author.