Marcos won’t stop Congress from declaring Chinese envoy persona non-grata — Palace

MANILA — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and his administration will not stop lawmakers from passing a measure that would declare Chinese ambassador to the Philippines Jing Quan persona non grata over his remarks that have been described as a veiled threat against the Philippines.

The Chinese envoy was earlier summoned to the Department of Foreign Affairs after saying that the Philippines should feel fortunate that Beijing has yet to flex its military prowess against Manila.

“Ang mga nagbibigay ng ganiyang matatapang na opinyon dahil sila ay nakakaramdam ng sakit, pang iinsulto dahil tayo ay mapag mahal sa bansa,” Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro told Palace reporters.

“Hindi rin po nagustuhan ng Department of Foreign Affairs ang mga naging tugon ng ambassador ng China,” she said.

“Kung ano man ang panawagan, ang gagawin ng Senado at Kongreso, hindi po ito pipigilan ng Pangulo,” she said.

Despite this, Castro clarified that the Marcos administration also understands the importance of maintaining its ties with Asia’s largest economy.

“Mayroon tayong mga kababayan din sa bansang tsina na dapat nating protektahan,” the Palace official said.

“Hindi dapat magpadalos dalos ang desisyon [pero] hindi natin sila (mga mambabatas) masisisi dahil nakikita natin ang bisita hindi hindi itinuturing na maayos ang mismo nakatira dito,” she said.

When asked for the Palace’s stance on Beijing’s supposed list of lawmakers that are no longer welcome in China, Castro said: “Dapat niyong tanungin yung mga hindi welcome sa China. Gusto ba nila pumunta sa China?”

The DFA earlier released a statement saying Lazaro has summoned her Chinese counterpart “to convey the Philippines’ serious concern and strong objection to his public statement,” which Manila has described as “provocative and unacceptable, and does not contribute to creating understanding.”

“It is not the place of a foreign mission to publicly criticize or taunt Philippine officials and legislators who are acting within their mandates,” the DFA said in a statement.

“As a democracy, the Philippines values freedom of expression and a plurality of voices, and it will not accept attempts by a foreign envoy to intimidate those who exercise them,” it read.

Despite the strongly-worded rebuke, the DFA said that it “remains committed to candid dialogue and constructive engagement, in line with its mandate and the direction of the President.”