00:00The false bravado of deputy spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in trying to lecture and
00:05upbraid senators of the 20th Congress on their latest response to Chinese propaganda on the
00:10WPS dispute has only earned him the senator's collective ire. Are Luisa Erispe on a push in
00:16the Senate to declare Mr. Guo Wei persona non grata in this report?
00:22It seems that the Senate leadership has almost reached its limit over the success of criticisms
00:28made by Chinese embassy deputy spokesperson Guo Wei against officials of the Philippine
00:35government. As a result, Senate President Vicente Soto III has proposed to study if the Senate
00:41can recommend to President Ferdinand R. Marcus Jr. to declare Guo Wei persona non grata.
00:48Yes, we will be perhaps studying the resolution, but in the same light, I suggest that we study
00:57the possibility of declaring that particular person a persona non grata. And that is very,
01:05very serious when the Senate does that. So I suggest that the committee on rules study the possibility.
01:15This comes amid the Senate's deliberation on resolution number 256 signed by 15 senators. The resolution
01:23condemns the alleged interference by the Chinese embassy in the internal affairs of the Philippine
01:28government. The senatories explained their support for the resolution.
01:32We know this pattern. The harsh public statements against Philippine officials are part of a wider
01:39strategy to harass and to intimidate those who defend our maritime rights, to discredit our legal victory
01:47before the arbitral tribunal. China had no respect for the 2016 arbitral ruling and for the international
01:56law, just as they had no respect to our fishermen, even water canoning them, to the Philippine Coast Guard
02:06and the Philippine Navy patrols, and recently to the elected senators of this republic. We will not tolerate
02:15statements or actions that demean our officials, undermine our sovereignty, or erode our national
02:24dignity. There comes a time when a nation must speak with clarity and firmness. And that time is now,
02:34Mr. President. However, Senator Risa Honteveros pointed out while deliberations were ongoing,
02:41the Chinese embassy's social media page criticized the senators for signing the resolution.
02:46Ni-re-post nila yung visuals ng 15 senators condemned Chinese embassy's criticism of Philippine officials.
02:56Ang ibig sabihin sa post niya, hindi daw tatayo yung ating pag-condena sa mga pinagsasabi nila
03:05bago pa ang araw na ito. At hindi tatayo yung ating iginigiit na may karapatan at tungkulin tayong
03:13itaguyod ang pambansang interes.
03:16This incident triggered the suggestion to declare go away persona ng grata. The sponsor of the
03:22resolution, Senator Kiko Panghelinan, has expressed support for the move.
03:27If, after studying the proposal of the Senate president and that the Senate majority leader
03:35deems it necessary to file a Senate resolution expressing the sense of the Senate that the
03:41president should declare the deputy spokesperson as persona ng grata, we will support the measure.
03:47However, Senator Alan Peter Cayetano believes that the Chinese embassy side must be heard first
03:54and that the Senate should wait before adopting the resolution prematurely.
03:58Rather than adopting the resolution, we call a committee hearing.
04:04I think napakalalim po ng issue na ito and it will be good for us and the public
04:10na malaman talaga natin kung anong talagang sinabi ni Commodore Tariela at ano yung palitan ng kuro-kuro.
04:16In the end, Senator Kiko remained open to a committee hearing and the resolution has yet to be approved.
04:23Luisa Erispe from the National TV Network for a new and better Philippines.
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