A COALITION of youth groups on Monday asked President ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr. to keep his promise to defend the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity in the West Philippine Sea.

In a statement, West Philippine Sea Coalition said that Marcos administration should “not sail in the same direction as the previous administration.”

“There is no unity without sovereignty. The Filipino youth will hold President Marcos Jr. to his promises. If he decides to follow the Duterte administration’s defeatist policy on China, and if he crumbles before Beijing’s bullying and abandons our fisherfolk, the Filipino youth will make sure that he regrets it,” WPSC Spokesperson Nathalie Walker said.

The group issued the call on the eve of the sixth anniversary of the Permanent Court of Arbitration’s ruling in favor of the Philippines’ claims in the WPS.

On July 12, 2016, the Tribunal ruled that there was no legal basis for China to claim historic rights to resources within the sea areas falling within its “nine-dash line.”

Meanwhile, Akbayan Youth Chairperson Dr. RJ Naguit, who is also a co-convenor of the coalition, said that they are pushing the new administration to craft a foreign policy that is fully consistent with the nation’s victory in the Court of Arbitration and based on constant dialogue and consultations with stakeholders; challenge China’s recent fishing ban within our territory and provide protection to our fisherfolk in the area; maximize all regional and international multilateral platforms to build alliances with nation-states that share our principles and values in the region and; review all China-funded infrastructure projects and rescind all those that undermine the Philippines’ sovereignty and national security.

The Student Council Alliance of the Philippines urged Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte-Carpio to include the comprehensive and mandatory teaching of the historical, legal, and environmental aspects of the WPS in the students’ curriculum.

“The lesson to impart here is that the West Philippine Sea is not some arbitrary spot on a map. It is part of our home, and a living, breathing piece of this nation,” Kandhalvi Asaali, SCAP leader, said.