Senator Erwin Tulfo hit back at the Chinese Embassy in Manila for condemning Philippine officials’ statements on the West Philippine Sea, saying Beijing has no right to lecture Filipinos on freedom of speech.
Tulfo reacted to remarks by Chinese Embassy Deputy Spokesperson Guo Wei, who said free speech should not be used to “smear” other countries’ leaders.
Guo cited a social media post by Philippine Coast Guard WPS spokesperson Comm. Jay Tarriela showing AI-generated images of Chinese President Xi Jinping.
“You have no right to censure our officials for their statements about you taking away our territory—territory that has been proven to be ours,” Tulfo said.
He added that if Chinese officials dislike how democracy works in the Philippines, “they can leave anytime.”
“Our house, our rules. Freedom of speech is in our Constitution,” the senator stressed, noting that critics in China are jailed and media is controlled.
Tulfo ended by telling Chinese officials to respect the Philippine Constitution, its officials, freedom of speech, and “the simple truth that this is not your country.”IMT
