Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. right, shakes hands with House Speaker Martin Romualdez ahead of the State of the Nation Address at the House of Representatives in Quezon City, Philippines, on Monday, July 22, 2024. in the Philippines, accusing them of venturing into crimes, including financial scams, human trafficking, torture, kidnappings and murders.
Relatedly, Philippine senators ordered the arrest of a town mayor in Tarlac province north of Manila who has failed to appear at public hearings where allegations against her were being investigated, including her alleged links to a large online gambling complex near her townhall and suspicions that she fraudulently hid her Chinese nationality to be able to run for a public office reserved only for Filipinos.
Marcos ordered the government's gaming agency to wind down the operations of the so-called Philippine offshore gaming operators, or POGOs, by yearend, drawing loud applause from legislators and top officials at the House of Representatives. His administration's “bloodless war” on dangerous drugs never aimed at “extermination,” Marcos said in an obvious criticism of his predecessor's brutal anti-drugs crackdown that left thousands of mostly innocent suspects killed.
"The West Philippine Sea is not only a figment of our imagination. It belongs to us,” Marcos said, using the Philippine name for the stretch of the South China Sea that Manila claims. His remarks drew loud applause and a standing ovation among lawmakers. The increasingly hostile confrontations at the Second Thomas Shoal and outlying waters have sparked fears they could escalate into a larger conflict that could involve the United States, the longtime treaty ally of the Philippines.