00:01The Foreign Affairs Department summoned Chinese Ambassador Wang Silian on Friday, July 4.
00:06This, days after China imposed sanctions on former Senator Francis Tolentino, an ally of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
00:14Palace spokesperson Claire Castro confirms this on Tuesday, July 8.
00:18Beijing announced on July 1 that Tolentino will be barred from entering Chinese mainland, Hong Kong, and Macau, citing supposed egregious conduct on China-related issues.
00:30Ang tugon ni Secretary of Foreign Affairs Maria Teresa P. Lazaro, the DFA conveyed to the Chinese side that
00:38while the imposition of such sanctions falls within China's legal prerogative,
00:43the imposition of punitive measures against democratically elected officials for their official acts is inconsistent with the norms of mutual respect and dialogue
00:56that underpinned relations between two equal sovereign states.
01:01In the letter read by Castro, the DFA pointed out that inquiring into matters of national interest is part of a senator's mandate.
01:08It also reminded the Chinese ambassador that as a democracy, the Philippines values freedom of expression.
01:15Tolentino was the chairman of the Senate's Special Committee on Philippine Maritime and Admiralty Zones.
01:19In April, Tolentino accused the Chinese embassy in the Philippines of tapping a marketing firm to propagate a pro-Beijing message.
01:27His committee led the passage of the Philippine Maritime Zones and Archipelagic Sea Lanes Acts,
01:32which codified the 2016 Arbitral Award on the South China Sea.
01:36Tolentino presented a tough stance on China in the elections last May, but failed to win another term at the Senate.
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