Speech by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. at the Meet-and-Greet

Speeches 23 June 2024

We are here together with the Secretary of National Defense, and the Chief of Staff, and of course our other service commanders that are here. [unclear] is also here because we wanted to get an update on what really happened in the previous incidents last week in the Ayungin Shoal.

So, we are here once again to — first of all, I wanted to meet — to see [unclear] touch with, the personnel who were involved, who were actually there out in the Ayungin area.

At talagang nakita ninyo [unclear] kayo ang nandiyan para tulungan at ipagpatuloy ang ating pag [unclear] sa ating — sa sovereignty teritoryo ng Pilipinas.

Kaya’t unang-una, nagpapasalamat ako sa inyong lahat sa serbisyo ninyo and the sacrifices that you have been making to continue to fight for and defend our territorial integrity.

Hindi magbabago ang ating pananaw dito sa sitwasyon na ito. Hindi tayo maaring pilitin na basta pabayaan na lang na kung sino-sino ang magsasabi — hindi na sa inyo ‘yan, amin ito. Hindi na puwedeng mangyari ‘yun.

Hindi talaga puwedeng mangyari ‘yun, sa simulang-simula pa lang. Since I became President, I have made it very, very clear that we will do everything that we need to do to defend our territory, to defend our sovereignty, and to allow our citizens to exercise their sovereign rights within the EEZ.

Iyan ang pinaka-importanteng — tuloy-tuloy na nating gawin. Matibay ang pinagtatayuan natin dahil ang batas — the international law is with us. We are on very solid international legal grounds on this. Dahil kinikilala ng buong mundo — na kinikilala [ng] buong mundo ang ating teritoryo at ang ating EEZ — ang ating economic zone. Na kung saan tayo — where we as Filipino citizens can exercise our sovereign rights.

Hindi magbabago ‘yan. And you have played a very, very important part in the defense of our sovereignty. Napakahalaga ng inyong ginagawa.

Alam ko na nandito kayo, nasa kampo kayo, pumupunta kayo, lumalabas kayo — baka hindi ninyo nararamdaman na ang buong Pilipinas ay sinasaludo kayo sa inyong ginagawa. [applause]

Alam namin ang dinadaanan ninyong sakripisyo. Alam nami na hindi madali ang mission na ibinigay namin sa inyo.

Ngunit maliwanag na maliwanag kahit gaano kahirap, kahit gaano kabigat ang trabaho na ibinibigay sa inyo ay mission accomplished pa rin kayo every time that you go out. [applause]

Kaya’t magpapasalamat kami, magpapasalamat in behalf of a grateful nation, I would like… One of the reasons why I wanted to come here is to be very clear, para maunawaan ninyo na hindi lang kayo — kinikilala kayo sa inyong tapang, sa inyong sakripisyo, but most of all, your professionalism.

Dahil ‘yan ang talagang pinaka-importante dito. Dahil delikado ang sitwasyon at kung isa sa inyo nagkamali, o nagalit, o uminit ang ulo na may ginawa, ay magkakagulo nang husto.

But you have not done any of that, you have remained professional. You have remained calm. You have remained mission-oriented. And for that we thank you for your service. [applause]

You inspire with your actions the rest of the military — and not only the rest of the military but the entire Filipino nation.

Kaya’t maraming salamat sa serbisyo ninyo and that is why we are here to recognize the sacrifices that you have made and the professionalism that you have displayed.

I know that it is not easy especially kapag nandyan na, nasa harap na ninyo, madaling makakalimot na kung ano ba talaga ang mga dapat ninyong gawin. What is the mission, what are the tactics that are to be used. But you have never done that, you have always — lagi ninyong sinusundan ang instructions sa inyo, laging maayos ang inyong ginagawa.

Kung nagkakagulo man, hindi kayo ang nagsisismula ng gulo na ‘yan. Kaya’t congratulations and well-done. Keep up the good work at talagang napakahalaga ng inyong ginagawa.

You are doing… It is nothing less than the defense of the sovereignty of the Republic, the defense of the territorial integrity of the Republic of the Philippines.

That is your mission and that is the mission that you have been able to comply with. And that’s why we are here today to make sure that you know — na dapat alam ninyo na your professionalism, your calm demeanor, and the sacrifices that you make are well-recognized not only by the Commander-in-Chief, not only by the leadership of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, but also by the entire Republic, the entire Filipino nation.

Maraming salamat sa serbisyo ninyo. Congratulations! [applause]

The mission is not yet over, but we already can see na kayang-kaya naman ninyo ang trabaho na naibigay sa inyo.

Kaya’t keep it up!

Keep up the good work and well done!

Maraming salamat! [applause]

–END–