Marcos says he's working for the Philippines, not US or China

MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said that he serves his country's interests, not those of powerful nations like the United States and China.

Marcos made the statement during a bilateral meeting on Friday with Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonyte, held on the sidelines of the president's working visit to Singapore.

Both leaders agreed to promote an international rules-based order to ensure peace and security amid regional challenges.

“Over a hundred of years that we have been in contact in informal trade that has been going on. It’s still not balanced…all we want really, is the promotion of peace and the national interest,” Marcos told Simonyte.

“I don’t work for Beijing, I don’t work for Washington, I don’t work for Moscow. I work for Manila. I work for the Philippines and that’s what I need to promote,” he added.

The Philippines is in a territorial dispute with China over the West Philippine Sea, while Lithuania faces tensions with Russia.

Marcos emphasized the importance of international law and a rules-based order in global relations.

“And the only way that we can navigate through all of these is to find ourself, plant ourself very clearly within international law, and within the rules-based order, within the agreements that most nations are made, with one another when it comes to the resolution of these kind of differences,” Marcos said.

He said that alliances can strengthen support for legal principles and sovereignty.

Šimonyte expressed her full support for Marcos' stance.

“Absolutely. Small states matter, and that will be my message tomorrow on the panel. International law matters because it acts as a safety network for small states,” Šimonyte said.

Marcos said that global conflicts, such as the war in Russia, have far-reaching impacts that extend around the world.