Helen Flores - The Philippine Star
October 21, 2026 | 12:00am
MANILA, Philippines — An apology should be given sincerely by the offending party and not demanded by the aggrieved, Malacañang said yesterday amid calls for Chinese Ambassador Jing Quan to apologize to Filipinos for his recent threatening remarks.
“Saying ‘sorry’ or ‘I’m sorry’ cannot be demanded, it must come from the heart,” Palace press officer Claire Castro said at a media briefing yesterday.
Philippine Coast Guard spokesman for the West Philippine Sea Rear Admiral Jay Tarriela issued the latest call.
President Marcos earlier expressed intention to summon Jing for a meeting, but Malacañang later said Foreign Affairs Secretary Ma. Theresa Lazaro had already met with Jing and that it was awaiting the report from the official.
“No details have been relayed to us so far. So let us wait for the report from Secretary Tess Lazaro,” Castro said.
Lazaro on Monday called Jing’s statement “provocative” and “unacceptable” and “does not contribute to creating understanding.”
Marcos had said he would like to have a word with the Chinese diplomat on what the latter really meant when he said Beijing could “easily win” a conflict with the Philippines.
“It sounds very much to me like a threat, and it is not a very diplomatic statement to be made. So we perhaps would like to understand what exactly it is that he means,” the President told reporters on the sidelines of the 125th founding anniversary of the PCG on Oct. 16.
“I think that deserves a discussion between the ambassador and myself,” Marcos said then, when pressed if he was going to summon Jing.
It’s business as usual for trade and investments despite the ongoing row with China, according to the Department of Trade and Industry.
“For now, none,” DTI Secretary Cristina Roque told reporters when asked about the impact on trade and investments of the intensifying tensions between the Philippines and China.
Roque said the DTI has no contingency plan to mitigate the potential impact of intensifying conflict on trade and investments.
Instead, she said the agency is on wait-and-see and is focused on its deliverables.
“It’s hard to speculate so it’s best for us to just move, keep on working on our deliverables,” she said.
For Rep. Edgar Erice, Marcos should personally handle the controversy over Jing’s provocative remarks instead of delegating the matter to the foreign affairs chief.
“Let the President handle this situation. We are dealing with China, one of the world’s most powerful countries. We cannot afford to aggravate tensions through unnecessary insults and diplomatic quarrels without a clear strategic objective,” Erice said.
“My appeal is simple: let President Marcos lead, let the DFA pursue diplomacy and let the DND protect our national security. We need wisdom and strategic direction, not a contest of who can make the strongest or most provocative statement,” he said.
Up to Marcos
Other members of the House of Representatives said it’s up to President Marcos to decide on what he thinks is best to address the latest diplomatic row with China. They stressed, however, that Filipinos don’t deserve to be bullied, especially by China’s top diplomat in the Philippines.
“A threat is a threat. That is an option of the President – to expel those what we call lesser diplomats,” Rep. Terry Ridon said.
Rep. Gerville Luistro and Joel Chua said the Philippines should take a firmer stand but without deviating from diplomacy.
“We should not be victims of a bully in our own land. But I wish to be clear, we are advocating a peaceful avenue of addressing the conflict with China,” Luistro said. “We deserve the respect of the foreign envoys.”
Chua said that while he is open to tougher response to Jing’s veiled threats, Marcos has to weigh the consequences of any action to the country’s relations with China. “It was very offensive for us to be threatened inside our own country.”
At the Senate, Sen. Risa Hontiveros became the latest among her colleagues to demand Jing’s expulsion through Senate Resolution 746 that she file yesterday.
She said Senate is aghast at Jing’s action and “wishes to express its disapproval of the undiplomatic conduct of a foreign envoy.”
Under the Vienna Convention, the Philippines has the right to expel a foreign diplomat “at any time and without having to explain its decision,” she said.
The Chinese embassy, meanwhile, posted on Facebook its demand for Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro Jr. to take back his remarks calling China “troublemaker” and “biggest threat.”
“You should ask SND Gibo Teodoro to take back his China ‘troublemaker biggest threat’ rhetoric and apologize for wrongfully detaining Chinese workers and persecuting innocent Chinese language teachers,” the embassy said, addressing Rep. Leila de Lima who earlier called on the administration to expel Jing. — Delon Porcalla, Neil Jayson Servallos, Pia Lee-Brago, Louella Desiderio