TINIYAK ni Pangulong Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. na magpapatuloy ang pagdepensa ng gobyerno sa teritoryo ng bansa matapos maglabas ng bagong mapa ang China kung saan inaangking nito ang West Philippine Sea (WPS).

“We of course will continue to defend our territorial sovereignty, our territorial rights. We have not changed our approach. It is other countries around us that have changed their approach,” ani Pangulong Marcos.

“Now, once again, we received the news, that now the nine-dash line has been extended to the 10-dash line. So, these are the — we have to respond to all of these and we will but again, these are operational details that I would prefer not to talk about,” saad pa ng Pangulo.

Iginiit ng Pangulo ang kahalagahan na sumunod sa mga international law, kabilang ang United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) na nagsasabi na ang WPS ay bahagi ng teritoryo ng Pilipinas.

“And we should take strength in that and I believe that that again is a very big help to the Philippines in continuing to defend our maritime borders,” dagdag pa ni Pangulong Marcos.

Iginiit ng Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) na ang 10-dash line map ng China ay walang legal na basehan.

Tinutulan din ito ng ibang bansa gaya ng India at Malaysia.