Hontiveros Demands Public Apology Over China’s Racist Propaganda

Trisha Matabalan, Philippine Canadian Inquirer
July 18, 2026

(Photo courtesy: China Daily)

PHILIPPINES – Filipinos were enraged by the release of AI videos and editorial cartoons from Chinese state media outlet following diplomatic clashes over the West Philippine Sea. In the videos, they depicted Filipinos with racist caricatures. In a statement on July 17, Friday, the House of Representatives Deputy Speakers Paolo Ortega and Jay Khonghun, and Deputy Majority Leaders Ernix Dionisio Jr. of Manila and Zia Alonto Adiong of Lanao del Sur said that it was “a vile, racist attack that exposes the moral bankruptcy and intellectual desperation of Beijing’s propaganda apparatus. This is the conduct of a bully that has run out of legal arguments and has resorted to bigotry.”

Senator Risa Hontiveros further condemned the video, stating that the AI video was “appalling and beneath the dignity of any State” in a recent social media post. She affirmed her support for the Department of Foreign Affairs’ motion to have it taken down and insisted that the government summon the Chinese Ambassador in order to convey the outrage.

“The Chinese government owes the Filipino people a public apology,” she said. “Until then, this utterly racist act will stand as a violation of the most basic standards of respect that should govern relations between nations.”