CALAMBA CITY (PIA) – Senator Imee Marcos calls on the public to embody the pacifist beliefs of national hero Dr. Jose Rizal when dealing with the issues in the West Philippine Sea.
Marcos, who serves as the chairperson of the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs, quoted Rizal during the hero’s 163rd birth anniversary celebration in Calamba on June 19 and emphasized that Rizal’s peaceful ideals from the colonial era should not be forgotten and remain relevant even today.
“We must not let his legacy be forgotten. Our generation, which holds him in high regard, cannot measure his sacrifice for the nation. Let us understand that it is not only through uprisings and the use of arms that we fight for ourselves, our principles, and our freedom. There are many other ways to show love and fight for the country,” Marcos said.
The senator lamented the oppression of local fisherfolk, civilians, and military personnel in the West Philippine Sea, but she reminded the public that further escalation would not be beneficial for any party involved in the tensions.
“Tensions are high in the West Philippine Sea. Our fellow countrymen are being oppressed. However, we must remember the lesson of our great hero that violence is not the solution to any problem. War brings nothing but suffering. Let us be wise and observant like [Rizal].”
Marcos further stressed that impulsiveness and hot-headedness during high-scale tensions would not be helpful, advising Filipinos not to be swayed or driven by emotions, but instead to use intellect and personal will in showing nationalism and love for the country.
In a statement released by the National Task Force on the West Philippine Sea (NTF-WPS), the Philippine government emphasized that it is not seeking armed aggression following the latest incident at Ayungin Shoal, where China Coast Guard (CCG) officers used tear gas, bladed weapons, damaged the Philippine Navy’s rigid hull inflatable boats (RHIBs), and threw rocks at soldiers moored beside the BRP Sierra Madre.
On June 20, Marcos filed a resolution that seeks to investigate and examine the events that took place in Ayungin Shoal in aid of legislation, to determine how the government can better protect Filipino servicemen and citizens during rotation and resupply missions and to ascertain what changes should be made to the current strategies employed by the government to allow the country to more effectively and safely assert its sovereign rights. (CH/PIA-Laguna)
