• 2 months ago
President Marcos rebuffed criticisms that the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is merely a “talk shop” as he underscored its role in keeping peace and stability in the disputed South China Sea region.

READ MORE: https://mb.com.ph/2024/10/12/marcos-asserts-asean-not-useless

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00:00Well, first of all, I don't agree that this is just a talk show, but even if it were,
00:04I'd rather be talking than watching conflict. So if the talking is keeping conflict away,
00:13then ASEAN will have achieved at least one of its most important purposes. But I think
00:23what is important is that we are able to once again make our position very clear
00:29on different issues. Of course, South China Sea was a big part of that. And we once again,
00:38as I have always strived to do, made our position clear, the Philippines' position clear,
00:44on how we see our sovereignty, our territory, our sovereign rights, and how we must be allowed
00:54to exercise them. So again, it is important for the Philippines, for example, to be able to explain
01:04to member states and the other leaders who have come to join us, the situation as we face it,
01:14because understandably, they do not live with this situation day to day. And it is important to
01:24make them aware that it is getting better, it's getting worse, it's about the same,
01:29we're finding ways and to see to show that. And it is important, it is always very useful,
01:37because at some point, there are many offers of help. And they say, if that is the problem,
01:43maybe we could do this, maybe we could, maybe our country can send vessels, maybe we could
01:48have joint operations, maybe we can have discussions, maybe I could serve as an
01:52interlocutor. All of these offers, which would not come if we did not make our position clear,
02:01and explain to them what the present situation is, how the situations have evolved.

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