Manila: President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. is firm in his stance to protect every inch of Philippine territory while maintaining a diplomatic approach in handling the West Philippine Sea (WPS) issue. 'Alam nila at kung ano ang stance ng Pangulo, anong posisyon: Walang anumang bahagi ng Pilipinas ang dapat ma-surrender sa anumang (They know the President's stance, his position: No part of Philippine territory must be surrendered to any) foreign power,' Palace Press Officer Claire Castro told reporters.
According to Philippines News Agency, Castro's pronouncement came following the appointment of former Navy and Coast Guard officer-turned-diplomat Rogelio Villanueva Jr. as Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) spokesperson for maritime affairs, a move aimed at upholding diplomacy in addressing maritime disputes. Castro explained that the DFA's stance may differ from that of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) as the two agencies have different mandates and address different concerns. Castro, however, stressed that the statements of both the DFA and the PCG remain aligned with Marcos' directive.
'Pagdating po sa DFA it's more on the policy. Pagdating po, let's say, sa Philippine Coast Guard, sa operations po sila. So magka-iba po kasi ang magiging mensahe ng Philippine Coast Guard as compared sa DFA (The DFA focuses more on policy, while the Philippine Coast Guard focuses on operations. That is why their messaging differs),' she said. 'Nagkaka-isa naman po. Aligned naman po kung ano ang gusto ng Pangulo. Firm pero diplomatic. So hindi naman po nagkaka-iba-iba. Iba lang po siguro kung paano nila ito ihayag dahil iba naman din po 'yung kanilang ipinapahayag. 'Yung isa ay polisiya, 'yung isa naman po ay (We are united and aligned with what the President wants. Firm but diplomatic. There is no conflict. The difference lies only in how they express it, because one speaks on policy while the other speaks on) operations,' Castro added.
She also clarified that the recent heated debate on the WPS issue in the Senate is no longer within Marcos' jurisdiction. 'Iba po kasi ang nangyayari sa Senado. Iba po ang nangyayaring debatehan sa kanila. Iba rin po ang nangyayaring debate sa mga kapwa nating Pilipino. Of course, being a Filipino, we should always be a pro-Philippines (What is happening in the Senate is different. Their debates are separate from discussions among our fellow Filipinos. Of course, being Filipinos, we should always be pro-Philippines),' Castro said.
