Binding Sea Code Top Phl Priority in Hosting Asean

Forging a binding code of conduct (COC) in the South China Sea will be one of the Philippines' top priorities when it chairs the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) next year, President Marcos said.

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"We will certainly try because it is very, very important," Marcos said during a podcast interview aired yesterday when asked whether the country would take more concrete steps to advance the conclusion of a COC.

"And it's very important to the Philippines because the (most hotly contested) area in the West Philippine Sea is right here on our side. So, it's important to us that we have a code of conduct," the President said.

During the ASEAN summit in Vientiane, Laos last year, Marcos called on fellow member-states of the bloc to expedite the completion of a COC that seeks to manage disputes in the South China Sea peacefully.

Since 2002, ASEAN has sought to obtain China's consent to a binding COC in the South China Sea, a critical trade route.

Apart from the Philippines and China, other ASEAN members Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei have overlapping claims over the South China Sea.

During the interview, Marcos emphasized that a binding COC would prevent collisions, building of artificial islands and other aggressive actions.

Marcos also underscored the need to maintain an open line of communication with other claimant countries.

The President made the response when asked about criticisms that the Philippines resorted to filing diplomatic protests as response to China's dangerous maneuvers and blasting using water cannons of government vessels in the country's waters.