How did Philippines’ Marcos Jnr fare in his State of the Nation Address?

The first standing ovation to Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr’s State of the Nation Address (Sona) came close to the end – after more than an hour of data presentation – when he declared in his native language: “The West Philippine Sea [WPS] is not just a figment of imagination. It is ours.”

Another standing ovation came at the end when he announced a ban on Pogos (Philippine Online Gaming Operations), a sector notorious for its links to illegal activities targeting Chinese clients.

For former congressman Barry Gutierrez, those two aspects were the highlights of Marcos Jnr’s speech on Monday, an event delivered to Congress annually by the country’s president and to inform the public on policies.

“The Pogos ban and the flag-waving for WPS certainly won him [political] points. The Pogos ban in particular was a brilliant piece of both political theatre and gamesmanship,” said Gutierrez, a former spokesman for ex-vice-president Leni Robredo.

The West Philippine Sea is a region within the disputed South China Sea that the Philippines considers its maritime territory.

Marcos Jnr’s third Sona speech came amid a drop in his trust ratings and popularity, as tracked by independent poll bodies.

Retired Supreme Court associate justice Antonio Carpio told This Week in Asia he was “satisfied” with the speech. “Yes, he addressed the WPS in his Sona. I’m satisfied with his statement on the WPS.”

Marcos Jnr devoted nine paragraphs to the issue, saying “the Philippines cannot yield. The Philippines cannot waver”.

He added: “We continuously try to find ways to de-escalate tensions in contested areas with our counterparts, without compromising our position and our principles. I know that our neighbours too are doing their best to make