China Daily's depiction of Filipinos as monkeys: Lawmakers decry 'moral loss'

MANILA, Philippines — Portraying more than 100 million Filipinos as monkeys in China’s claim of ownership over the West Philippine Sea (WPS) means their leaders have lost logic and moral ground in their attempt to take over the country’s maritime territory, lawmakers said over the weekend. “A civilization secure in its convictions has no need to demean another people. When a foreign state-owned publication abandons reasoned argument in favor of calculated insult, it does not strengthen its country’s position – it weakens it,” House minority leader Marcelino Libanan said. “There is simply no justification for a foreign state-owned publication to portray an entire nation in such a contemptuous manner. Such imagery advances neither understanding nor constructive dialogue,” Libanan added. “It merely breeds resentment and unnecessarily strains the goodwill that generations of Filipinos and Chinese have patiently cultivated through commerce, education, cultural exchange and family ties,” he said. Libanan was referring to the recent China Daily opinion video portraying Filipinos as monkeys, saying the “episode represents an unfortunate descent into invective that has no place in relations between neighboring countries.” The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has responded through the appropriate diplomatic channels by lodging a formal protest and calling for the withdrawal of the state-owned China Daily artificial intelligence-generated opinion video, along with related editorial cartoons. Libanan stressed that differences over the WPS must never become an excuse for assailing the dignity of ordinary Filipinos. “Maritime disputes belong at the negotiating table and within the framework of international law – not in campaigns of derision designed to inflame public sentiment,” he said. “The Philippines will continue to uphold its sovereign rights with confidence, composure, and fidelity to international law. We remain ready to engage in principled dialogue, and we expect the same measure of restraint, dignity and judgment from those who speak in the name of the Chinese state,” Libanan added. China Daily is the People’s Republic of China’s largest English-language newspaper. It is owned by the Chinese government and serves as a platform for presenting Beijing’s official policies and perspectives to an international audience. Navotas Rep. Toby Tiangco condemned Beijing’s actions. “It's a racist and dehumanizing attack against Filipinos. It goes beyond satire or online content,” he said, describing it as a deliberate attempt to insult and dehumanize the Filipino people, as he urged the public to stand against propaganda targeting the country’s sovereignty and national dignity. Sen. Kiko Pangilinan yesterday said the AI video was part of Beijing’s effort to undermine the Philippines’ 2016 arbitral victory on the WPS. “The arbitral ruling has been in our favor for 10 years. At the same time, they are trying to invalidate it by spreading propaganda and lies to undermine our victory in The Hague,” Pangilinan said in an interview over dzRV. Speaking during the national commemoration of the 10th anniversary of the Arbitral Award, Agriculture Undersecretary for fisheries Drusila Esther Bayate said securing the livelihoods of fishing communities is essential to strengthening food security, economic resilience and the country’s sovereign rights. Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. called on the Filipino youth to help raise public awareness on the WPS, defend truth and promote informed discussions on national security. Teodoro called for greater national convergence to strengthen the Philippines’ resilience and safeguard its maritime interests during the Ilocano Dialogue on the West Philippine Sea, organized by the Ilocos Norte Model ASEAN Meeting at the Ilocandia Cultural Center on Saturday. — Mark Ernest Villeza, Josiah Antonio, Pia Lee-Brago