The Philippines will keep exercising diplomacy and stay out of war in addressing maritime disputes with China, eight years after Manila secured a legal victory against the Asian superpower in the Permanent Court of Arbitration, National Security Adviser (NSA) Eduardo Año said on Friday.
In an interview at the celebration of 8th anniversary of the Arbitral Award, Año said President Marcos already gave his clear directives to all government agencies and personnel involved in resolving this matter to keep going the diplomatic route.
“Yes, we don’t want war. Nobody wants war. We are staying on this track. As we said, this is a combination of a lot of strategies, including diplomatic, information, legal, even socioeconomic and [including] military and law enforcement—all of these, we must keep them balanced,” he said.
“What the President said is clear in our diplomacy. Wee are open to constructive dialogue, but one thing is sure: we will not lose a single inch of our territory. We will fight for our national interest,” Año added.
Sought for a comment in regards to the demand of China to remove BRP Sierra Madre in Ayungin Shoal, claiming “it causes environmental damage in the area,” the NSA emphasized that Manila is committed to protecting its natural resources.
“We already gave a statement on that. [It is] not us that causes environmental destruction. We are already conducting a maritime survey investigation… It is clear, from the start of our position there, we want to protect the resources, the environment and everything,” Año explained.
Ano also said that Manila is also eyeing to file another arbitration case over Beijing moving forward after eight years. “We are discussing all possible options. It would depend, of course, on the decision of the President,” he said.
