Marcos's annual address shows steely resolve on maritime rights

Don McLain Gill is a Philippines-based geopolitical analyst, author, and lecturer at the Department of International Studies, De La Salle University.

On July 22, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. delivered his third State of the Nation Address (SONA) against the backdrop of China's growing belligerence and expansionist ambitions in the West Philippine Sea -- the part of the South China Sea that encompasses the Philippines' lawful 200 nautical mile exclusive economic zone.