Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea Commodore Jay Tarriela on Saturday said he will not apologize to the Chinese government over an alleged caricature of Chinese President Xi Jinping shown during one of his presentations.
The issue stemmed from a Facebook post by Tarriela that featured him delivering a speech with a background displaying comical images of Xi under the banner “Why China remains to be bully?”
China’s embassy in Manila criticized the post, calling it “a serious violation of China’s political dignity and a blatant political provocation, which has crossed the red line.”
Speaking at a news forum, Tarriela said he sees no reason to issue an apology.
“There is no authority for the Chinese embassy for us to explain. Why would I apologize? Because of the caricature? I didn’t even mention na si President Xi Jinping yun,” he told reporters.
“Sino ba ang mga caricature na ginawan na rin nila na national leader? Ang intention talaga ng Chinese embassy is to justify yung panawagan nila to silence me,” he added.
Tensions between the Philippines and China continue over the West Philippine Sea, an area claimed by Beijing despite an international ruling rejecting its historic rights claim. The waters have seen repeated confrontations between Chinese and Philippine vessels.
Earlier this week, the PCG said it rescued a Filipino fishing boat that was allegedly harassed by Chinese ships near Scarborough Shoal, also known as Bajo de Masinloc.