AKBAYAN Representative Perci Cendaña has strongly condemned recent threats made by the Chinese Embassy, warning of potential job losses for millions of Filipinos in response to statements made by Filipino legislators defending the country’s sovereignty.
“I express alarm at the recent tirade of the Chinese Embassy… Such utterances are not a warning but a veiled threat against our country’s economy and national security,” said Rep. Cendaña. “It is worrying that official representatives of the Chinese government would casually use threats as if economic hostage-taking was a valid recourse in diplomatic disputes.”
Rep. Cendaña emphasized that Filipino workers should “never become targets for reprisal” and criticized China’s history of using economic pressure in diplomatic disputes, citing the 2011 ban on Philippine bananas and pineapples in retaliation for a standoff in Bajo de Masinloc.
“Nakakapanlumo na binubully na nga ang ating mga mangingisda sa WPS, ngayon pati buong bansa pinagbabantaan ng China,” Rep. Cendaña stated, expressing dismay that China is now threatening the entire country after already bullying Filipino fishermen in the West Philippine Sea.
The lawmaker urged the Philippine government to take immediate action to protect the economy from potential Chinese pressure and ensure the safety and security of Filipinos living in China, Macau, and Hong Kong, should the Chinese government resort to “palit-ulo hostage diplomacy.”
