Philippines: Marcos Jr. to Stand by South China Sea Ruling

A road full of challenges

After winning more than 59 percent of the votes in the latest election, Marcos Jr. is set to formally take office on June 30. He is the son of Ferdinand Marcos, a dictator who ruled the Philippines for 20 years before being ousted by a people’s revolt in 1986.

Marcos Jr. and his running mate Sara Duterte, daughter of the incumbent president, are expected to embrace the key policies of the elder Duterte. However, the incoming president signaled that he would not adopt his predecessor’s “slightly unorthodox approach” to foreign policy.

Instead, Marcos Jr. has sought to strike a balance between China and the United States, saying: “We are a small player amongst very large giants in geopolitics. We have to ply our own way.”

“I do not subscribe to the old thinking of the Cold War where we had this spheres of influence where you’re under the Soviet Union or you’re under the United States,” he said. “I think that we have to find an independent foreign policy where we are friends with everyone. It’s the only way.”

Sources: Reuters, AFP