House lawmakers condemned Special Envoy of the President to China Teddy Locsin Jr. for his contentious now-deleted tweet advocating for killing Palestinian children, deeming it "highly irresponsible" from a high-ranking official.
Kabayan Partylist Rep. Ron Salo and Lanao del Sur Rep. Zia Adiong were one in castigating Locsin following his "incomprehensible" remark that "Palestinian children should be killed" as "they might grow up to become as gullible as innocent Palestinians letting Hamas launch rockets at Israel."

Palestinian children, Locsin said, are Muslims that "could stage mass suicide attacks against Hamas until the latter ran out of bullets."

Salo, chair of the House Committee on Overseas Workers Affairs, stressed that Locsin's "provocative personal opinion" may be perceived as the official stand of the Philippine government that may jeopardize Filipino diplomats, particularly in the Middle East.

"Worst, it endangers the lives of our already vulnerable kababayans scattered all over the world, mostly concentrated in Muslim countries, which do not share the Ambassador's sarcasm, no matter how witty or amusing he thinks he appears," he said.

Locsin's remark "incites hatred and hostility" not only against Palestine alone but also towards Filipino Muslims and Muslims globally, which was deemed a "crime in most jurisdictions, and is outlawed by the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights," according to Salo.

Despite Locsin's apology for his "sarcastic response," Adiong asserted that "there is no room in Philippine Society, much more in the high offices of government, for the dangerous, bigoted, and Islamophobic rhetoric that is palpable" in the now-deleted statement.

"Under no circumstance is the killing of Palestinian children justified, and it is no laughing matter when more than a thousand Palestinian children have lost their lives in Gaza within this past week alone," he said.

Moreover, Adiong–senior vice chair of the House peace reconciliation and unity panel– schooled Locsin that he must be mindful to callously associate Islam with terrorism—a "lesson" that should have already been learned long ago.

The lawmaker referred to a 2014 landmark peace deal between the government and the country's largest separatist group, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, that ended their 17-year-long conflict.

As a high-ranking government official, Adiong said Locsin should have practiced restraint and wisdom with his statement "because our words are not ours alone."

"May your statement land on deaf ears," Adiong said.

​The Department of Foreign Affairs has "completely disassociated" itself from Locsin, claiming his statement "was made in his strictly personal capacity."