Racist

There’s no other way to describe what China Daily did when it depicted us Filipinos as monkeys. It is what it is – racist and uncalled for.

As one of its readers, I am heartbroken for our country and our people. It’s also sad because I read China Daily, which is an English newspaper, when I travel to China via Chinese airlines. Some of their articles are interesting and varied, although expectedly pro-China.

But its depiction of Filipinos was very wrong and based on my experience as a newspaper journalist in the Philippines, newspapers or media organizations should not be racist against anyone, any race or any country for that matter. We don’t live in the dark ages anymore. Societies and the world are supposed to be evolving.

The Department of Foreign Affairs is right in demanding that China Daily take down the video depicting Filipinos as monkeys, part of the news outlet’s material on the 2016 South China Sea Arbitral Award.

“It was blatantly demeaning, dehumanizing and racist,” the DFA said.

“We draw a firm line at the depiction of Filipinos as monkeys in the 10 July 2026 video, which is deeply offensive, distressing and unacceptable. Disagreement over legal and political issues does not justify resorting to disturbing imagery, which has no place in the civil public discourse of a responsible state,” the DFA said.

Phl embassy in Beijing issues statement, too

I also received a statement from the Philippine embassy in Beijing led by Ambassador Jaime FlorCruz.

Below is the Philippine embassy’s statement:

“The Philippine embassy in Beijing reiterates the strong condemnation of the China Daily’s publication of AI-generated videos and editorial cartoons concerning the 2016 South China Sea Arbitral Award, including the video posted on its Facebook account on July 10, 2026.

“As a Chinese state-run media outlet, China Daily’s conduct goes beyond legitimate political debate and employs blatantly demeaning, dehumanizing and racist depictions of Filipinos.

“The Philippines has consistently rejected false narratives and distortions regarding the Arbitral Award and the Philippines’ lawful positions in the South China Sea. But we draw a firm line at the depiction of Filipinos as monkeys in the July 10, 2026 video, which is deeply offensive, distressing and unacceptable.

“Disagreement over legal and political issues does not justify resorting to disturbing imagery, which has no place in the civil public discourse of a responsible state.

“Such imagery and misinformation breach editorial norms and principles. They only serve to widen the distrust between the Philippines and China. The Philippine embassy demands that the offensive material be taken down, calls for the immediate cessation of such irresponsible content and urges China Daily to uphold dignity, respect and truth in public discourse.”

I agree with the embassy’s statement that disagreement over political issues does not justify such depiction of Filipinos.

As I said, there’s no other way to put it. It’s racist and demeaning. Even China should call out the state-owned media.

It is also lamentable that Sen. Robin Padilla passed the blame to Jay Tarriela, the spokesman of the Philippine Coast Guard for the West Philippine Sea, saying Tarriela drew the first blood but Tarriela said they did not create the incidents.

Each and every Filipino should take a stand against this.

There is no place for racism in a world that is supposedly striving to become better for today’s generation and the succeeding ones.

From the inbox: The Association of Foundations

After I wrote a column on the scandal hounding the College of Mass Communications Foundation Inc. (UPCMCFI) involving the theft of P4.4 million in funds, I received a letter from the Association of Foundations (AF).

In its letter, AF said it absolutely supports calling out misdeeds in the sector.

“But at the same time, we fervently hope that the efforts of the many nameless development workers are not diminished by the offenses of the unscrupulous few,” it said.

AF is a 54-year-old network of NGOs and foundations in the Philippines, with 271 member organizations working in various development programs – from education to environment.

UPCMCFI is not a member of AF but in its letter, AF underscored that good governance and integrity are at the core of the work of many Philippine NGOs and foundations.

“Building and strengthening systems for transparency and accountability are essential to earning and sustaining the trust of our communities, partners, donors and the broader public we serve,” it said.

“Within the AF network, we reinforce these principles by requiring our members to comply with applicable regulatory requirements and by providing regular learning opportunities on how to strengthen their governance and operational systems,” it added.

AF also agreed with me that strong regulatory oversight is needed to maintain public trust in foundations. At the same time, it said that nonprofits also voluntarily undergo certification with the Philippine Council for NGO Certification, the sector’s independent self-regulatory mechanism that assesses organizations using standards of governance, financial management, transparency and program effectiveness.

“Together, these mechanisms encourage organizations to go beyond minimum regulatory requirements and adopt higher standards of accountability and good governance.”

Thank you to Cecile Dominguez-Yujuico, president of AF, for taking time to share the work that AF does. 
AF basically said that the case of UPCMCFI is more of an exception rather than the rule.

It’s good to know that foundations and nonprofits have self-regulatory mechanisms to maintain their integrity.

This way, we can prevent thievery as what happened to the UPCMCFI.

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Email: [email protected]. Follow her on X @eyesgonzales. Column archives at EyesWideOpen on FB.