Sen. Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan on Tuesday urged President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to send Chinese Ambassador Jing Quan back to China, citing the envoy’s recent remarks and the Chinese Embassy’s response to lawmakers calling for his removal.
In a social media post, Pangilinan challenged Marcos to take action against Jing, drawing comparisons with the administration’s actions against former President Rodrigo Duterte, Kingodm of Jesus Christ (KOJC) founder Apollo Quiboloy and former House Speaker Martin Romualdez, as well as its crackdown on Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGOs) and its response to Chinese aggression in the West Philippine Sea (WPS).
The senator also described Jing as "arrogant, insulting, crude and insolent."
“Mr. President, if you can send Duterte, Quiboloy and Romualdez to jail, declare POGO illegal and have them shutdown, assert our sovereignty against Chinese aggression then you can most certainly send this arrogant, insulting, crude and insolent alien back to his country of origin,” Pangilinan said.
“I have witnessed and thus know that you have what it takes, Mr. President. But if you don’t use it, you lose it,” he added.
Pangilinan also called Jing a “hooligan” and described him as a “poor version of a foreigner,” reiterating his demand for the ambassador to be sent home.
“Send this poor version of a foreigner, this hooligan back home,” he said.
Jing recently warned the Philippines against further testing Beijing’s patience amid tensions over maritime disputes, saying China’s restraint should not be interpreted as weakness.
“The Philippines should not take it as weakness, and further challenge our patience regardless of boundary and bottom line,” Jing said.
In a statement following his meeting with Foreign Affairs Secretary Theresa Lazaro on Oct. 19, Jing rejected allegations that his earlier remarks constituted a military threat.
The Chinese envoy also accused Philippine officials of engaging in provocations and warned that bilateral relations were entering a sensitive period.
Meanwhile, several lawmakers, including Sen. Risa Hontiveros, filed a resolution urging Marcos to declare Jing persona non grata over his threatening remarks, adding to calls for action against the Chinese diplomat.
The calls come amid continuing tensions between Manila and Beijing over maritime disputes and competing claims in the WPS.
