MANILA — Senate Senior Majority Leader JV Ejercito made a bold statement directed at Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Jing Quan by wearing a specialized T-shirt emblazoned with the words “West Philippine Sea” alongside Chinese characters translated to mean that the maritime territory belongs to the Philippines.
Speaking during an AM radio interview on Saturday, October 17, Ejercito explained that he purposely incorporated Chinese text into his attire to ensure the envoy could easily comprehend the intended message.
“Baka kasi hindi pa maintindihan ng Chinese Ambassador [Jing Quan] kung ano ibig sabihin ng West Philippine Sea kaya in Chinese character natin ginawa. Sana mabasa niya ito,” Ejercito said.
Aside from the sartorial protest, the senator strongly criticized Jing’s recent statements concerning bilateral ties, urging the diplomat to exercise professional restraint and focus on building positive relations between the two nations.
“Kailangan you strengthen to improve the ties between the two countries. Yung bansa at syempre yung bansa kung saan ka na-istasyon,” Ejercito said.
“Ito masyadong aggressive, masyadong hostile,” he added.
Ejercito’s remarks came on the heels of statements made by Jing on Friday, where the ambassador asserted that the Philippines should consider itself fortunate to have China as a regional neighbor. Jing claimed that Beijing could easily prevail if it opted to use military might, but asserted that they prefer a peaceful path.
“We should feel fortunate enough that you have a neighbor like China in this region. You know, if we want to use force, we may easily win. But no, we will not choose to use force. We love peace,” Jing stated.