Lawmakers led by House Deputy Minority Leader and Mamamayang Liberal (ML) Party-list Rep. Leila de Lima have filed a resolution urging the government to take stronger actions and initiatives in response to what they described as tirades by the Chinese Embassy against Philippine government officials.

In filing House Resolution No. 680, the lawmakers called on the Executive Branch, particularly the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), to adopt a bolder diplomatic stance and undertake appropriate measures. These include the filing of diplomatic protests, summoning the Chinese ambassador, and considering the declaration of persona non grata against any embassy spokesperson or foreign diplomat found to have engaged in improper conduct.

De Lima said Chinese embassy officials have no right to insult or demean Philippine officials.

“It is not right that while they are peddling lies, we will just stay silent. Just like what we are doing to defend the West Philippine Sea (WPS), it is only right that we also defend our officials who are standing up for what is true and what is right for the dignity of our country,” De Lima said.

While the DFA has already issued a statement on the matter, De Lima stressed that a stronger response from the government is necessary.

Aside from De Lima, the signatories of House Resolution No. 680 include fellow Liberal Party lawmakers Reps. Edgar Erice (2nd District, Caloocan City), Adrian Michael Amatong (3rd District, Zamboanga del Norte), Arlene “Kaka” Bag-ao (Lone District, Dinagat Islands), Jaime Fresnedi (Lone District, Muntinlupa City), Cielo Krisel Lagman (1st District, Albay), and Alfonso Umali Jr. (2nd District, Oriental Mindoro). Also signing the resolution were Akbayan Party-list Reps. Jose Manuel “Chel” Diokno, Percival Cendaña, and Dadah Kiram Ismula.

“The Chinese Embassy has repeatedly issued public statements and social media posts directed at Philippine officials that employ discourteous, disparaging, and inflammatory language, including personal attacks on the competence and integrity of Philippine public servants, insinuations that they are ‘embarrassing’ themselves, and threats couched as warnings to ‘stop or pay the price,’” the resolution read.

“These actions go beyond the legitimate articulation of a foreign state’s position and constitute an unacceptable departure from the restraint, civility, and mutual respect expected of diplomatic missions,” it added.

The resolution further noted that instead of confining its concerns to established diplomatic channels, the Chinese Embassy has increasingly used public platforms to admonish and intimidate Philippine officials and institutions, delegitimize lawful transparency initiatives, and influence domestic public discourse in a manner that undermines Philippine sovereignty and the dignity of national institutions.

Since December 2025, the Chinese Embassy, through Deputy Spokesperson Guo Wei, has issued a series of public statements and social media posts disputing Philippine positions on navigation rights, archipelagic sea lanes passage, exclusive economic zone entitlements, and the legal validity of the 2016 Arbitral Award.

Earlier this month, the embassy also released statements directed at lawmakers who had spoken on maritime and regional security issues, including De Lima, Diokno, and Senators Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan, Risa Hontiveros, and Erwin Tulfo.