Eye for an eye: Certain Chinese officials should be barred from entering Philippines too, says Ridon
At A Glance
- Bicol Saro Party-list Rep Terry Ridon is asking the Marcos administration to respond accordingly to the Chinese government's imposition of sanctions against former senator Francis Tolentino.
Bicol Saro Party-list Rep Terry Ridon (Facebook)
Bicol Saro Party-list Rep Terry Ridon is asking the Marcos administration to respond accordingly to the Chinese government's imposition of sanctions against former senator Francis Tolentino.
This after Tolentino--branded as an anti-China politician--was prohibited from travelling to China, Macao, and Hong Kong.
Ridon, a returning House member in the 20th Congress, wrote on his Facebook on Tuesday night, July 1: ''The PH government should undertake a commensurate and proportional response to the travel sanction against former Senator Francis Tolentino.''
''It should similarly impose similar travel sanctions on current or previous high-level Chinese officials who had been undertaking disinformation against PH interests in the West Philippine Sea (WPS),'' he added.
Manila and Beijing have been embroiled in a territorial dispute in the WPS for years now. Arguably, tension in the region has never been higher than they are now, despite the continued diplomacy between the two nations.
Tolentino is the principal author of the Maritime Zones Law and the Archipelagic Sea Lanes law. These two are considered landmark legislation when it comes to the Philippines' exercise of its maritime territorial rights.
Tolentino ran for reelection under the administration-backed Alyansa para sa Bagong Pilipinas senatorial slate during the 2025 mid-term polls, but lost.