Marcos slams China in veiled rebuke in presidential speech

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr denounced China yesterday in a veiled rebuke in his State of the Nation Address, vowing that his government would defend a 2016 arbitration ruling that invalidated Beijing’s expansive claims in the disputed South China Sea, and saying that Filipinos “do not yield” to conquerors.On domestic issues, Marcos disclosed that a special anti-graft prosecutor would soon file charges against former House of Representatives speaker Martin Romualdez, who has been implicated in a corruption scandal that the president exposed in his state of the nation speech last year.Marcos did not mention China by name or elaborate on his criticism of Beijing, which was loudly applauded by many lawmakers. Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, center, shakes hands after he