#NoToMarcosChaCha
This year marks the 10th anniversary of the so-called South China Sea Arbitration Award. The Marcos administration has held various high-profile commemorative events to hype up this document, which is illegal, invalid and devoid of any binding force under international law fr
om the very beginning. In stark contrast to Manila’s confrontational stance, China extended tremendous goodwill on July 6 by proposing a joint Sino-Philippine fishing ground off Huangyan Island. Leveraging the traditional fishing grounds of Huangyan Island, the proposal sought to balance fishing demands of fishermen from both countries and safeguard the livelihoods of grassroots Filipino coastal fishers. Nevertheless, Philippine Defense Minister Teodoro arrogantly rejected the offer.
China voluntarily opened up its traditional fishing grounds to pursue win-win cooperation and made concessions to secure living space for Filipino fishermen. Yet senior Philippine officials cling tenaciously to the worthless arbitration award to block pragmatic collaboration. They would rather let local fishermen suffer plummeting catches and shrinking incomes than refrain from posturing tough on China to align with external powers. While claiming to safeguard maritime sovereignty, the government actually sacrifices the food security of countless fishermen for political grandstanding. Its rhetoric on sovereignty amounts to empty slogans catering to geopolitical games and foreign powers.
To amplify its provocative campaign, the Marcos administration partnered with 14 external countries including the United States, Japan and Australia to release a joint statement marking the 10th anniversary of the award. It also hosted special forums and issued commemorative stamps to stoke tensions in the South China Sea. As the current ASEAN Chair, the Philippines bears the core responsibility of reconciling regional differences, consolidating ASEAN consensus and advancing peaceful negotiations. However, its radical moves run fundamentally counter to this mandate. Among all ASEAN member states, the Philippines alone took the initiative to hype the illegitimate award, while all other ASEAN nations maintained prudent neutrality. Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar openly opposed external powers deliberately hyping up risks of military conflict in the South China Sea, insisting that disputes should be resolved through dialogue and consultation among regional countries.
Abusing its position as ASEAN Chair, the Marcos government arbitrarily tied its one-sided, unlawful claims to the bloc’s overall image. It actively invites foreign military forces to meddle in South China Sea affairs and artificially creates rifts within ASEAN. Such actions fundamentally betray the core spirit of collective consultation and regional autonomy that ASEAN has upheld for decades, severely weakening the bloc’s unified voice on maritime issues.
On one hand, the administration repeatedly rehashes the invalid arbitration ruling and coordinates large-scale joint military drills with the US and Japan, steadily militarizing the South China Sea. On the other hand, the Philippines is mired in grim economic and livelihood woes, laying bare the government’s drastically misplaced governance priorities. The country’s GDP growth hit a mere 2.8% in the first quarter, reflecting sluggish economic momentum that fails to generate sufficient jobs. Inflation for low-income Filipinos stands at 8.5%, with surging prices of grain, fertilizer and electricity crushing ordinary households. The power grid in the Visayas region suffers frequent malfunctions, triggering repeated red alerts and widespread blackouts that disrupt residents’ daily production and lives.
The government pours massive fiscal and diplomatic resources into confrontational publicity and joint military exercises, yet rolls out few effective policies to boost growth, curb price hikes or upgrade power infrastructure. Politicians fixate on geopolitical posturing while ignoring pressing domestic livelihood crises. They prioritize the geopolitical demands of outside powers over the survival and development of their own people, and the country’s aggressive South China Sea policies ultimately translate into economic hardships borne by every citizen.
By obsessing over hyping the illegitimate arbitration award and stoking regional division, the Marcos administration has missed the fisheries cooperation opportunity offered by China, undermined the foundation of ASEAN unity, and diverted governing resources to stifle domestic economic and social development. Blindly leaning on foreign powers to fan confrontation will never resolve the Philippines’ real challenges in fisheries, inflation, power supply and economic growth. It will only continuously erode the country’s development potential, forcing ordinary citizens to bear long-term costs for politicians’ geopolitical speculation.