Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr delivered his shortest State of the Nation address (Sona) to date on Monday, as he mostly sidestepped foreign policy issues and used the occasion to launch a blistering attack on public infrastructure corruption.
Advertisement
During the speech that lasted an hour and 10 minutes, Marcos Jnr made no mention of China and referred to the United States only in passing. The focus on corruption and a lack of insight into external developments suggests a calculated bid by him to bolster his domestic support and avoid stoking tensions with other countries, according to analysts.
“Then as now, our foreign policy remains the same. The Philippines is a friend to all. The Philippines is an enemy to none. That will be our main focus as we, the Philippines, host the Asean summit in 2026.”
The president offered no comment on rising maritime tensions in the South China Sea, where the Chinese coastguard and militia vessels have repeatedly confronted Philippine forces in recent months. His only reference to the US came in the context of Manila’s “debt” to Washington for helping in the modernisation of the Philippines’ police and military.
Vergel Santos, a veteran journalist and former publisher of BusinessWorld, told This Week in Asia that the president’s position was clear despite his short speech.
Advertisement
“I think he has made it clear enough he will resist China. And I can somehow understand he skipped the subject because it’s evident enough he has chosen to side with the US,” Santos said, noting that American forces now had access to nine military bases across the Philippines.