President Aquino delivers his third annual State of the Nation address

Philippine President Benigno Aquino urged all Filipinos yesterday to unite in sending a message to China over a territorial row, insisting his country would not give in to its more powerful neighbour.
In his annual “state of the nation” address to parliament, Aquino said his government had shown goodwill and forbearance in handling the months-long dispute over competing claims to parts of the South China Sea.
“I ask for solidarity from our people regarding this issue. Let us speak with one voice. Help me relay to the other side the logic of our stand,” Aquino said.
“If someone entered your yard and told you he owned it, would you agree? Would it be right to give away that which is rightfully ours?”
Aquino recalled how the row began in April when Chinese government ships blocked Philippine boats from arresting Chinese fishermen in Scarborough Shoal, an outcropping claimed by both countries in the South China Sea.
He said the Philippines had since ignored the Chinese state-run media’s “harangues” over the issue.
“I do not think it is excessive to ask that our rights be respected, just as we respect their rights as a fellow nation in a world that we share,” Aquino said.
China claims sovereignty over nearly all of the sea, which is believed to hold vast amounts of oil and gas, is one of the region’s most important fishing grounds and is home to shipping lanes that are vital to global trade.
The Philippines, as well as Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan, also claim parts of the sea, making the area one of the region’s potential military flashpoints.
The Philippines and Vietnam have complained over the past year that China has becoming increasingly aggressive in staking its claims to the area.
Aquino said the Philippines was looking to find a resolution that was “acceptable to all”, and made no threats.
However, in a separate part of his 90-minute speech, he also stressed he was pushing through with the modernisation of the Philippine military, one of the most poorly equipped in Asia.
He said his government had allocated P28bn ($67mn) for military modernisation to acquire new hardware and repair old equipment, with new helicopters and a frigate due to arrive next year.
And he said the government was planning to spend P75bn on defence over the next five years. AFP