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.
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.
“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.
