Marcos ordered the graduates to “ensure our persons are protected of their homes, the safety of our territory, a robust defense against threats and a stable democracy.”
“Against intruders who have disregarded our territorial integrity, we will vigorously defend what is ours,” Marcos said in a speech that didn’t specifically mention China.
Beijing claims many of the South China Sea, warding off competing claims from other countries, including the Philippines, and a world ruling that its claims within the waterway don’t have any legal basis.
To maintain its claims, Beijing is sending coast guards and other boats to patrol waterways and has turned several reefs into artificial islands that it has militarized.
China defends its actions, saying it’s taking vital measures against ships it says are violating the law on its territory.
Marcos said the Philippines’ conduct will “at all times be guided by the law and our responsibility as a principled member of the community of countries.”
He said Manila wouldn’t respond in kind to the usage of water cannons against its ships.
