The National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea (NTF-WPS) welcomed on Saturday the ASEAN’s reiteration for peaceful dispute resolution in the South China Sea.
In a news forum in Quezon City, National Security Council (NSC) Assistant Director General Jonathan Malaya lauded President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s diplomatic efforts to showcase the Philippines’ commitment to safeguarding its sovereignty and territorial integrity during the ASEAN Summit in Jakarta, Indonesia this week.
“Let me also take this opportunity to congratulate our President, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., for successfully securing the support of ASEAN for the Philippines position in the West Philippine Sea,” he said.
The President earlier urged the ASEAN not to allow the international peaceful order to be subjected to the forces that would promote hegemonic ambition in the South China Sea.
“The President’s successful engagement to our ASEAN partners strengthens our diplomatic efforts in advancing the nation’s interest and maintaining regional peace and security. We remain committed to supporting these initiatives that are aligned with our national security objectives,” Malaya said.
Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) Commodore Jay Tarriela, Spokesperson of the NTF-WPS, also noted that the PCG is pleased with the interventions made by the President during his attendance at the said summit.
“So with that kind of intervention of the President, I think for the Philippine Coast Guard, we’re very happy that he has mentioned this and told the entire ASEAN nations that this is something that we really need to look out for,” Tarriela said.
In his delivery of the Chairman’s Statement, His Excellency Joko Widodo, the ASEAN reaffirmed the need to enhance mutual trust and confidence and exercise self-restraint in the conduct of activities that would escalate disputes and affect peace and stability.
He further urged all nations to avoid actions that may further complicate the situation but rather pursue peaceful resolution of disputes in accordance with the universally recognized principles of international law including the 1982 UNCLOS.
