Marcos: Repel those who trample our sacred shores

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. delivers his speech at Malacañan Palace in this file photo taken on January 12, 2024. INQUIRER.net / Ryan Leagogo

MANILA, Philippines — On the 125th anniversary of the First Philippine Republic, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said it was imperative to repel those who “trample our sacred shores.”

Marcos quoted the English version of the Philippine National Anthem.

“To those who ‘trample our sacred shores,’ the Spirit of Malolos commands us to resist you, for the territory our forefathers fought for is unconquerable,” said Marcos in his speech in Bulacan.

While Marcos did not specify if he was citing a specific situation, his statement comes amid tensions with China as Beijing continuously encroaches upon Philippine waters.

READ: 80% of Filipinos want ‘strengthened alliances’ to protect West PH Sea — survey

The President also emphasized on internal problems, saying that the challenges that face the Philippines come in the form of poverty.

“The wars we fight today involve no armies to be crushed or trenches to be overwhelmed. They require no bloodletting, no rushing of barricades,” said Marcos.

“They are harder to vanquish, and they exact a toll of poverty, hunger, and disease claim more lives than any armed conflicts,” he added.