Marcos says stronger alliances make Philippines safer amid China tensions, pledges reforms at home

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said in his annual state of the nation speech Monday that the country has become more confident and better prepared to defend its sovereignty, citing strengthened security alliances amid rising tensions with China in the disputed South China Sea.

In a nationally televised speech before Congress, top government and military officials and diplomats, Marcos said the newly forged alliances would help the Philippines at a time of “grave need.” Addressing domestic problems, he acknowledged growing public frustration, citing the midterm elections in May — where only half of his senatorial slate prevailed — as a sign of discontent over basic government services.

He renewed a call for national unity and pledged that the government would be more responsive to the country’s many problems, including crushing poverty, inadequate infrastructure and corruption.

Marcos orders probe into flood-control projects after storms

Marcos vowed to expose and prosecute corruption in flood-control projects, as the Philippines reels from days of deadly flooding and landslides that have killed over 30 people and displaced more than 200,000.

He pledged to publicize a list of all the flood-control projects in the last three years under his presidency to allow the public to scrutinize it. Those found guilty of corruption would be prosecuted, Marcos said to applause.

“Let’s stop pretending. The public knows that these projects are hounded by anomalies,” Marcos said. “To those who conspired to steal public funds and rob the future of our people, you should be ashamed.”

The pledge comes after more than a week of massive flooding and landslides triggered by storms and seasonal monsoon rains battered the northern region of Luzon, including the capital Manila.

The flooding left more than 30 people dead and affected more than 6 million people in all, according to the country’s disaster response agency. More than 200,000 people remain displaced, including 122,000 still in emergency shelters.

Disputes with China

Since he took office in mid-2022, Marcos has struggled to deal with his country’s escalating disputes with Beijing in the contested South China Sea and his stormy relations with Vice President Sara Duterte, who was impeached in February by the House of Representatives, which is dominated by Marcos’ allies.

“In the face of new threats to our peace and sovereignty, our preparations, surveillance and defense of ourselves have been intensified,” Marcos said without mentioning China by name. He underscored that the Philippines would remain “restrained and patient.”

Under Marcos, the Philippines has deepened its ties with the United States and broadened security agreements with Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, France and other Western governments. That stance has strained relations with a militarily superior China.

“Our confidence is higher because we have more allies, which would support us in the time of grave need,” he said.

Territorial disputes involving China, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan in the disputed waters, a busy global trade route, is an Asian flashpoint and a delicate fault line in the regional rivalry between the United States and China.

Washington lays no claim in the disputed waterway but has repeatedly warned that it it’s obligated to defend the Philippines under a 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty if Filipino forces, ships and aircraft come under an armed attack, including in the South China Sea.

Last week, U.S. President Donald Trump hosted Marcos in the White House for talks on tariffs, trade and further boosting their countries’ treaty alliance.

China has warned the U.S. not to meddle in what it calls a purely Asian dispute.

Also Monday, Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro said the Marcos administration would continue to shift the military’s role from battling a weakening communist insurgency to focusing on external defense.

“We would be unyielding and resistant to Chinese aggression in the West Philippines Sea,” Teodoro said in an interview with the ABS-CBN TV network, using the Philippine name for the stretch of disputed waters off the western Philippine coast. “We’ve been gearing up towards that mission.”