MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. deemed the artificial intelligence (AI)-generated video posted by Chinese state-run media that depicted Filipinos as monkeys unacceptable, Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said on Monday.
At a briefing, Castro said there may be some officials who accept being likened to monkeys, but that was not the case for Marcos.
“As Filipinos, we do not need to see the President’s reaction; no Filipino would take that well—no one would accept such a depiction of Filipinos as monkeys.)
READ: PH: China video shows its ‘moral bankruptcy’
“Perhaps there are only a few officials who accept that they are monkeys, but the President is not one of them.)
It is also up to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) whether to summon the Chinese ambassador to the Philippines, Jing Quan.
“[Foreign Affairs] Secretary Tess Lazaro is already taking action regarding that matter. As for the Senate’s plans, that is up to them; it is also within their mandate to look into these events and to demonstrate to our fellow citizens that we condemn any belittling of our fellow Filipinos.)
Sen. Risa Hontiveros urged Malacañang over the weekend to summon the Chinese envoy over the AI-generated video.
Both the DFA and the Philippine Embassy in China condemned the creation and posting of the video, saying it crossed the line from a territorial dispute into racism and dehumanization.
In the AI-generated video posted by China Daily on its Facebook account on July 10, a monkey wearing a tattered traditional barong Tagalog is shown being blasted with a water cannon.
“China Daily’s conduct goes beyond legitimate political debate and employs blatantly demeaning, dehumanizing, and racist depictions of Filipinos,” the embassy said in a statement.
READ: Rights defenders slam Chinese media’s monkey video
“Disagreement over legal and political issues does not justify resorting to disturbing imagery, which has no place in the civil public discourse of a responsible state. Such imagery and misinformation breach editorial norms and principles. They only serve to widen the distrust between the Philippines and China,” it also said.
The Philippines recently marked the 10th anniversary of the landmark July 12, 2016 arbitral award, which invalidated China’s sweeping claims in the South China Sea based on its so-called nine-dash line. Beijing has repeatedly rejected the ruling, which it says is “null and void.”/coa
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