The mission of the Armed Forces of the Philippines has modified amid the difficult state of affairs within the South China Sea and the extreme competitors of superpowers, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. mentioned on Monday.
In his speak to the troops earlier than the Visayas Command in Cebu, Marcos mentioned the South China Sea drawback was probably the most troublesome and complicated problem even with the warfare in Ukraine.
“Kaya’t sinasabi ko ‘yung mission ng AFP, ‘yung mission ninyo ay nagbago na. At kailangan natin bantayan nang mabuti ‘yung ating dating hindi kailangan masyadong isipin,” Marcos said.
(This is why I’m saying the mission of the AFP has changed. We now have to keep watch over matters which before we didn’t have to think much about.)
“There was a time when we did not have to worry about these threats and the intensification of the competition between the superpowers,” Marcos said.
“For many, many years, we were able to maintain that peace and maintain that understanding with all of our neighbors. Now things have begun to change and we must adjust accordingly,” he added.
In an interview with the Wall Street Journal in Davos in late January, Marcos said the Philippines was working to avoid being caught in the middle of the two competing world powers, the US and China.
He was quoted as saying that the Philippines was increasing its cooperation with the US while developing mechanisms to ease the tension with China amid geopolitical issues in the Asia Pacific.
Marcos mentioned a proverb as regards grass getting trampled while elephants fight.
“We are the grass in this situation. We don’t wish to get trampled,” Marcos mentioned. —NB, GMA Integrated News
Source: www.gmanetwork.com
