China has gone to far with its meddling of Filipino interests as far as former House quad-committee (quad-comm) chairman Robert Ace Barbers is concerned.

This, following reports that the Chinese Consulate General in Auckland asked the organizers of the Doc Edge Film Festival in New Zealand to stop the screening of the film, “Food Delivery: Fresh from the West Philippine Sea” by filmmaker Baby Ruth Villarama.

The Chinese government ultimately failed to block the screening of the film, which portrayed the sufferings of Filipino fishermen trying to eke out a living in the West Philippine Sea (WPS).

The documentary won the Tides of Change Award.

“Sobra na itong China government sa kanilang pakikialam sa ating bansa. Nuong una at hanggang ngayong, gusto nilang kontrolin ang WPS, na sinabi na sa 2016 arbitral ruling na wala silang legal and historic rights,” Barbers, former three-term Surigao del Norte congressman, said.

(The Chinese government has gone too far in interfering with our country. From the beginning up to now, they’ve sought to control the WPS, despite the 2016 arbitral ruling that said they have no legal or historical rights.)

“Ngayon, gusto naman nila tayong patahimikin sa katotohanan sa pamamagitan ng pag-pigil at pag-kontrol o baguhin ang ating pag-iisip at pananaw sa realidad na kinakaharap ng ating mga mangingisda at maritime defenders sa WPS,” he added.

(Now, they want to silence our truth by suppressing and controlling our thinking and views on the harsh reality faced by our fishermen and maritime defenders in the WPS.)

UNCLOS stands for United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

Barbers suggested that after the controversial film had been shown commercially in local cinemas and/or television outlets, the government, through the Department of Education (DepEd) and the Comission on Higher Education (CHEd) should make efforts to have the film shown in all public or private high schools, colleges and universities.

“Ang ipinapakita sa nasabing pelikula ay realidad na nagaganap sa ating mga mangingisda at maritime defenders sa WPS na walang bahid ng pulitika o kung anupaman. At sa palagay ko, hindi naman masama na mapanood at malaman ng ating mga mag-aaral ang tunay na nagaganap sa nasabing rehiyon,” said the former quad-comm chief.

(The film reflects the real experiences of our fishermen and maritime defenders in the WPS, without any trace of politics or other agendas. And I believe it’s only fair for our students to see and understand what’s truly happening in that region.)

Barbers said that China should give the Philippines the same level of courtesy when it comes to such internal affairs.

“Walang pumipigil sa China sa kung anumang naratibo, propaganda o interpretasyon nila sa mga nagaganap sa WPS. At nararapat din lamang ni di tayo dapat pakialaman ng China kung anumang pag-iisip, katotohanan at interpretasyon nating mga Filipino sa nasabing rehiyon."

(Nobody is preventing China from pushing whatever narrative, propaganda, or interpretation they want about what’s happening in the WPS. So equally, they have no right to meddle with how we Filipinos think, what truth we believe in, and how we interpret the situation in that region.)

Filmmaker Villarama, for her part said. “We have no politics behind the personal stories of our people, and make sure the world can see the truth about our struggles and quiet power. Kwento natin yun at ang WPS ay tunay na atin (That’s our story, and the WPS is truly purs)."

The July 2016 Permanent Court of Arbitration ruling that favored the Philippines invalidated China's expansive nine-dash line claim over the entirety of the South China Sea, including the WPS.