00:00What was the intention of raising maritime tensions at the ASEAN-China summit, when countries
00:15usually take it up in other forums like the EAS or the NDRF?
00:20Well, we take every opportunity that we can, again, to make the Philippine position clear.
00:29Our intent, really, is at this point, what we are doing is trying to manage the situation.
00:41You know that all of us who have been working on this problem for a while have come to the
00:50conclusion that there's no silver bullet here that will solve the problems immediately.
00:56So we have to just manage it so that there's no conflict, that it does not erupt into a
01:03hotter confrontation than it already is.
01:07So what we in the Philippines' approach to maintaining and to protecting our sovereignty
01:17is to keep a presence.
01:19As long as we have ships there, we have fishermen, we have presence in every place.
01:25Now, if there are incidents that intimidate our fishermen or block our ships, our coast
01:39guards, we will just have to deal with it.
01:43But nonetheless, whatever happens, we will maintain that presence.
01:48Because it is important to show the world and our people that we are in the business
01:57of protecting our sovereignty.
01:58We are in the business of maintaining our – of protecting our territorial imperatives.
02:04We are insisting on exercising our sovereign rights.
02:09Sir, it was the Philippines that first proposed a creation of a code of conduct in the South
02:14China Sea.
02:15We couldn't get that.
02:16The Philippines pushed for the adoption of a declaration of conduct in 2002.
02:20And we're hosting the ASEAN in 2026.
02:23Will we push for the conclusion of the COC?
02:27Every single day we push for the conclusion of COC because then that will provide the
02:32basis that will – I'm sure that will come when the time – if and when we have that
02:39COC, then it will lay down the rules for everyone to follow and it will stabilize the
02:46situation.
02:47That's why it is so important.
02:49That's why I don't want to make it a small matter that we push.
02:58We really push.
02:59In fact, in almost every one of my interventions here at this ASEAN summit, we've mentioned
03:07that and say that the solution for now to this is – well, no, not for now.
03:12The solution in the end will be to have a COC.
03:16And we are always pushing for it.
03:18We're always pushing for – we have to accelerate the negotiations.
03:22We have to define our terms already as quickly as possible so we can talk about the issues.
03:28That's a very important part of our argument.
03:31Sir, last question.
03:32Sorry, sir.
03:33Sir, with that in mind, how do you think the ASEAN should accelerate those talks?
03:36You've pushed it in your interventions.
03:38How do you think the other ASEAN member countries would accelerate?
03:41I think the onus is now on China to accelerate those talks.
03:46ASEAN has been waiting for a long time.
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