Bataan 1st district Rep. Geraldine Roman (Ellson Quismorio/ MANILA BULLETIN)

Fed up and fired up, Bataan 1st district Rep. Geraldine Roman has asked China in the simplest way she can to "respect the Philippines".

"Pananawagan lang naman sa China (An appeal to China), if I could just say it in Chinese I would do it eh. Respect our country in the same way you would like your country to be respected," Roman said in a press conference Tuesday, May 14. 

The transgender lawmaker was reacting to the continued aggressive behavior of Beijing in the West Philippine Sea (WPS). 

"This is not something that is, you know just because you are bigger in terms of geography and population or economic might, you think you can get away with it," she told the regional power. 

Roman condemned China's actions in the WPS, which she described as "uncivilized". 

"This is unbecoming of the old and rich civilization that China has all has been. We expect more from China," said the chairperson of the House Committee on Women and Gender Equality. 

"We should be partners and not enemies, kaya nga lang (however) if you keep on bullying us, you are pushing us to the corner. There will come a time that we have to defend ourselves," she said. 

"But I am encouraged by the knowledge that we belong to a community of nations and that we have our allies as well who are more or less in the same dilemma na meron isang malaking bully na gustong ariin this part of the world (of having one big bully that wants to own this part of the world)," noted Roman. 

The House of Representatives, which possesses the power of the purse, doesn't plan to sit idle in this regard. 

"I foresee in the coming budget season, we will also try to empower our coast guard and of course, deepen and strengthen our alliance with other civilized countries in the world," she said.