Q: Good afternoon. How do you describe the current relationship of the Philippines and China under your administration?
PRESIDENT MARCOS: Well, this is something that again it is like everybody else, with our neighbors, our partners, it’s the same. It is evolving. Simply because the world around us is changing. But it hasn’t changed in any fundamental sense.
Some people have said that the Philippines has shifted its policy away from the People’s Republic and to other powers. That is certainly not true. We have not shifted away from China in any way whatsoever.
We continue to foster the friendship, the relationship, the partnership that we have been developing with China since 1974 and 1975 when it became official. So that’s how I describe. It is a continuing search to find solutions to the challenges that we face jointly with China.
Now, of course, as to the differences between China and the Philippines, certainly they exist but it is not something that will define our relationship. It is something that we will continue to work, to resolve, and to make sure that peace and the safe passage across the South China Sea, the West Philippine Sea is assured and we look to China as partners in that effort to keep that peace and to keep the trade that is so important to this part of the world alive and vibrant.
Q: Hi, good evening po, Mr. President.
PRESIDENT MARCOS: Good evening.
Q: Sir, the Phivolcs today just raised the Alert Level 3 po sa Mayon Volcano. So, what will be your directive po sa ating disaster response agencies and also to the LGUs that might be affected by the volcano’s increasing activity?
PRESIDENT MARCOS: Well, of course, we have been watching both Mayon and Taal. Taal it seems is not in a such a precarious — such a dangerous situation. Mayon is a little bit more advanced in terms of the… Hindi pa naman lumalabas ‘yung lava. If the lava flow starts, that’s when we really have a disaster.
Right now, what we are doing is preparing and moving people away from the area so that should the time come, I hope it doesn’t happen, but unfortunately the science tells us na parang ganun na nga ang mangyayari kasi ‘yung the lid or the cap on top of the lava is slowly rising, not so slowly rising, at baka puputok nga. Kaya’t nakaabang tayo nang husto at naka-ready na naman tayo. At ganun naman talaga ang ating ginagawa. We watch it very, very closely. Make sure that any of the communities that could be affected are evacuated and are given assistance while they are evacuated until the time that they can return to their homes.
So, it’s the same thing. ‘Yung Taal, the problem is the release of the gas. May toxic gas na medyo naramdaman na ng mga ibang taga-doon at ‘yun the DOH is looking after those people and we have analyzed the problem and we know where the wind is blowing. Kaya’t alam na natin kung saan dadaan ‘yung mga toxic na gasses kaya’t paiiwasin na natin ‘yung mga tao na nakatira doon sa area na ‘yun.
Q: Hi, good evening sir. Sir, ilang linggo na lamang po ay ikalawang State of the Nation Address niyo na. Kumusta po ‘yung paghahanda para rito? At ano ‘yung mga dapat i-expect ng mga tao mula sa inyong ikawalang SONA?
PRESIDENT MARCOS: Well, let me naman preserve some ano. Keep it until the time comes. Well, the truth of the matter is, we’re still preparing everything, all the materials that we’re going to put together. Like any SONA, it will be a report to the nation as to what the situation has, what happened in the last year since the last SONA, where we are now, what we have managed to do and where we still have work to do. That is essentially the template that we’re going to use.
So, the things that I mentioned in the first SONA, we will have a look and see ano na nangyari doon sa mga ating mga pinag-usapan nung unang SONA. At sa palagay ko naman, mayroon naman tayo ipapakita and that’s what the content of the SONA, I think, will probably be.
Q: Thank you so much, President. I would like to know that because tomorrow marks the anniversary of China Friendship Day. So, how do you expect and how will you strengthen the relationship between China and the Philippines?
PRESIDENT MARCOS: Well, we were just talking with the Ambassador and there are several things that we have — slowly the process that we began after my visit to President Xi and to China in January, we have developed those concepts, the concepts of communication, the areas of — the issues about the fishing grounds. All of these things are continuing and we, perhaps soon we will be able to report. And this is the way that we strengthen this relationship that we have with China.
Of course, on the private sector side, this is going on without any stop. The opportunities that China has given the Philippines and the Philippine corporations, and Filipinos in general have been invaluable to the Philippines and that’s why that continues.
Whatever else happens that this relationship again will not be defined by the differences but by our common areas of interest and our common beliefs and the similarities in our culture which both countries will understand very well. I think that is a very fertile ground to build, to plant our relationship and keep it growing.
Thank you.
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