Senator Risa Hontiveros on Friday, July 17, urged Malacañang to summon Beijing’s ambassador to the Philippines following the release of an AI-generated video by China Daily that depicted Filipinos as monkeys in connection with the 2016 South China Sea Arbitral Award.
In her statement, Hontiveros pressed the administration to officially convey the nation’s indignation regarding the derogatory propaganda broadcasted by the Chinese state-run media outlet.
The lawmaker backed the Department of Foreign Affairs’ insistence on the immediate removal of the offensive clip, slamming the media material as racially offensive and demeaning to Filipinos.
”We completely and unequivocally reject China’s racist propaganda. We Filipinos should never be caricatured and stripped of our humanity because of our nationality,” Hontiveros said.
She also condemned how the video portrayed the Philippines’ efforts to protect its national interests, noting that it inaccurately framed the country’s sovereign actions as a form of colonial subservience.
Labeling the AI-created footage as “appalling and beneath the dignity of any state,” Hontiveros asserted that the publication severely undermines China’s credibility and exposes the insincerity of its claims of friendship and mutual respect toward the Philippines.
Furthermore, the senator called on global allies to join Manila in denouncing the video, characterizing it as a “cheap attempt” to drive a wedge between the Philippines and its international partners.
Hontiveros maintained that persistent insults and hostility aimed at Filipinos will only serve to deepen Manila’s ties with foreign nations that respect and validate its claims in the West Philippine Sea.
She stressed that the Chinese government owes the Filipino public a formal apology.
”Until then, this utterly racist act will stand as a violation of the most basic standards of respect that should govern relations between nations,” she said.
Hontiveros reiterated that geopolitical disagreements ought to be settled through lawful frameworks, factual dialogue, and diplomatic avenues rather than through malicious media campaigns.
”Whatever our politics, whatever our differences, no amount of propaganda can diminish the dignity of Filipinos,” Hontiveros said.