Mamamayang Liberal (ML) Party-list Rep. Leila de Lima on Friday released a statement condemning the “racist depiction” of Filipinos publicized by a Chinese state-controlled media outlet, while pointing out that their persistent harassment and lies render them a laughingstock to the rest of the world.

“Sa ginagawa nilang panggigipit, pagbabanta at mga kasinungalingan, sila ang mas nagiging kahiya-hiya at katawa-tawa sa mata ng buong mundo,” the lawmaker wrote in a social media post.

The clip, which uses an anthropomorphic monkey in a barong and salakot to portray the Filipino people, reveals their “arrogance (that) knows no bounds” and a mentality of “an entitled bully,” she said.

De Lima pointed out, however, that this caricature reflects China’s “insecurity and frustration” with the Philippines, which refuses to yield its sovereign rights over the West Philippine Sea (WPS).

“They can spread propaganda, create AI-generated videos, disseminate lies, and invent imaginary lines all they want, but they cannot erase the fact that the WPS is ours under our Constitution and international law,” she stressed.

Nevertheless, de Lima warned that China will not stop at mere insults to obtain what they seek. She called on Filipinos to defend the country’s sovereignty.

“Bilang bully, malamang na hindi sila titigil sa ganitong pang-aalipusta hangga't hindi nila nakukuha ang kanilang gusto. Kaya patuloy lang dapat tayong pumalag at manindigan para ipagtanggol ang ating soberanya at pambansang dangal,” she said.

Earlier, Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) Spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea Commodore Jay Tarriela slammed the video published by China Daily for its regressive racism.

“China must realize that racism has no place in this day and age!” he wrote over a screengrab of the video.

“Racism meant to belittle another race deserves nothing but condemnation. Filipinos are not monkeys!” he captioned the photo.