SENATOR RISA HONTIVEROS ON THE STATEMENT OF CHINESE AMBASSADOR HUANG XILIAN

These are truly disgraceful statements from Ambassador Huang Xilian. How dare he threaten us.

Our OFWs in Taiwan will continue to work where they work. End of story. Filipinos will thrive and make a living according to our wishes. We will never let Beijing decide on the future of Filipino families. Their destiny is not in China's hands.

The Palace should tell Beijing to recall their representative in Manila as soon as possible. He has no business being a diplomat if he is unable to engage with us in a respectful and dignified manner.

He, along with his country's ships and artificial islands in the West Philippine Sea, should pack up and leave.

The Philippines will never interfere with the issue of Taiwanese independence. That is exclusively for the people of Taiwan to tackle. We, in the Philippines, respect the right of the Taiwanese people to self-determination, and this right must be upheld by all other nations that share this planet, even including the autocratic regime of China.

If China has issues with the US, she shouldn't drag our country into their fight. It is China who has been stoking tensions in the region, claiming territories that aren't hers. It is China who continues to bully, harass, and intimidate other smaller nations in the region. It is China who is making all this mess.