House Speaker Martin Romualdez defended President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s foreign policy on the West Philippine Sea, stating that it only rebalanced the country’s foreign relations from the previous administration’s China pivot under former President Rodrigo Duterte.
The Philippines has heightened its ties with the United States and other security partners like the European Union, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and Japan, emphasizing the significance of freedom of navigation and international law in contested waters.
Romualdez explained that Marcos’ approach is about balance rather than pivoting towards the US, as the previous administration had sought closer relations with China and Russia under an independent foreign policy.
He also highlighted the current president’s stance on the Philippines not instigating wars nor yielding to any foreign power.
The Speaker also said Congress will prioritize the passage of a bill providing long-term land lease to foreigners to attract investments as the Marcos administration hits its third year.
“I’ll join Senate President Francis Escudero in his initiative on passing Foreign Investors Long-term Lease to attract foreign investors,” Romualdez said in an interview with DZMM when asked what can the public expect during President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr.’s third year in office.
Another priority, he said, would be the passage of the proposed P6.3-trillion national budget.
Regarding recent tensions in the West Philippine Sea, Romualdez urged China to de-escalate and highlighted the support from a “community of nations” for the Philippines.
He also reassured that the tension in the area would not lead to war and expressed confidence in the support from the international community.
“Honestly, China is wrong. China is doing it wrong. Maybe everyone knows the arbitral ruling. ‘The whole world is with us. How can we go wrong with that?” he said over ABS-CBN News.
Romualdez also addressed concerns about the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) sites in the Philippines, stating that they are intended for disaster response and not for territorial or external threats.
“If the freedom of navigation is fine, will we have EDCA sites? But one treaty partner, the US, is volunteering to fix our military bases for interoperability. But actually those bases are not for territorial or external threats,” he said.