Marcos: Philippines now enjoys higher international esteem

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines has gained more allies in upholding its interests and now enjoys higher esteem in the international community, President Marcos said yesterday.

“Then as now, our foreign policy remains the same: friend to all, enemy to none,” the President said in his fourth State of the Nation Address (SONA) yesterday.

He said this policy would be pursued when the Philippines hosts the Association of Southeast Asian Nations leaders’ summit and related meetings in 2026.

In his SONA, Marcos did not refer specifically to tensions with China in the West Philippine Sea.

In a related development, Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. reiterated yesterday that the administration has made a “major shift” in defense policy as it is now more focused on external and territorial defense.

“The President’s statements were, we would be unyielding and resistant to Chinese aggression in the West Philippine Sea. And we’ve been gearing up toward that mission,” Teodoro told ANC.