House Minority Leader 4Ps Party-list Rep. Marcelino "Nonoy" Libanan stressed on Sunday, July 19 that Filipinos weren't propaganda tools for China.

Such was Libanan's reaction to a recent China Daily artificial intelligence (AI)-generated opinion video, which portrayed Filipinos as monkeys.

Libanan says the episode represents an unfortunate descent into invective that has no place in relations between neighboring countries. He stressed that differences over the West Philippine Sea (WPS) must never become an excuse for assailing the dignity of ordinary Filipinos.

"The Filipino people are not props in a propaganda narrative. We are a sovereign people whose dignity is not open to caricature. Maritime disputes belong at the negotiating table and within the framework of international law—not in campaigns of derision designed to inflame public sentiment," said the House leader.

China Daily is the People's Republic of China's largest English-language newspaper. It is owned by the Chinese government and serves as a platform for presenting Beijing's official policies and perspectives to an international audience.

Libanan hit Beijing's perceived "insecurity" over what his colleagues described as a "racist" attack.

"A civilization secure in its convictions has no need to demean another people. When a foreign state-owned publication abandons reasoned argument in favor of calculated insult, it does not strengthen its country's position—it weakens it."

He continued: "There is simply no justification for a foreign state-owned publication to portray an entire nation in such a contemptuous manner. Such imagery advances neither understanding nor constructive dialogue."

“It merely breeds resentment and unnecessarily strains the goodwill that generations of Filipinos and Chinese have patiently cultivated through commerce, education, cultural exchange, and family ties," Libanan added.

The Philippines’ Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has already responded through the appropriate diplomatic channels by lodging a formal protest and calling for the withdrawal of the China Daily AI-generated opinion video, along with related editorial cartoons.

"The Philippines will continue to uphold its sovereign rights with confidence, composure, and fidelity to international law. We remain ready to engage in principled dialogue, and we expect the same measure of restraint, dignity, and judgment from those who speak in the name of the Chinese state,” Libanan said.