Philippines' Ferdinand Marcos says he remains firm in defending sovereignty
SYDNEY: Philippine president Ferdinand Marcos Jr told the Australian parliament on Thursday he would not allow any foreign power to take "one square inch" of the country's territory, and that Manila was firm in defending its sovereignty. Australia and the Philippines began their first joint sea and air patrols in the South China Sea in November, aimed at countering an increasingly assertive China, which claims the entire sea as its own.