Philippine Coast Guard spokesperson Rear Admiral Jay Tarriela on Sunday renewed his criticism of Sen. Robin Padilla, saying the lawmaker still failed to understand that China — not "white people" or the Philippine government's transparency campaign — was responsible for producing and spreading an AI-generated racist video depicting Filipinos as monkeys.

In a Facebook post, Tarriela said he decided to respond in Filipino after Padilla's latest remarks but lamented that the senator still appeared to have misunderstood his point.

"Senator Robin Padilla, mukhang kahit tinagalog ko na po ay hindi pa rin ninyo naintindihan," Tarriela wrote.

"Kaya uulitin ko: ang racist na video ay gawa ng China, at walang kinalaman dito ang mga 'puti' na sinasabi ninyo. Ang dapat nating kondenahin ay ang China, dahil ang China ang gumawa at nagpakalat ng racist na video na ito."

Tarriela said he was surprised that Padilla appeared to blame him instead of China for the controversy.

"Ngayon ko lang po napagtanto na ang sinisisi pala ninyo sa racist na video na ito ay ako, at hindi pa rin ang China," he said.

The PCG spokesperson rejected Padilla's claim that his use of a monkey caricature during a university lecture triggered China's propaganda video.

He said the classroom presentation was intended as satire, was conducted inside a university and was never meant to be published.

"Wala po akong intensyong gamitin ang aking lecture bilang 'wartime propaganda' — hindi ito sinadyang mailathala, ginawa ito sa loob ng isang unibersidad, at ito ay satire," Tarriela said.

He added that the caricature issue had already been settled months ago.

"Matagal nang nakapag-move on ang lahat sa isyung ito ng caricature noong January, pero kayo pa rin po ang gumagamit nito bilang convenient excuse para sa China."

Tarriela also denied personally attacking Padilla, saying it was the senator who first mentioned him publicly and who described Filipinos as "monkeys of different colors."

"Hindi po ako ang kalaban dito dahil pareho po tayong Pilipino," he said before ending his post with a light jab: "Salamat, po. Sana po ay blockbuster pa rin ang susunod na pelikula ninyo."

The latest exchange follows a public spat between the two over the government's transparency campaign in the West Philippine Sea and China's release of an AI-generated video portraying Filipinos as monkeys.

On 10 July, Chinese state-run newspaper China Daily published the AI-generated video referencing the 2016 arbitral ruling that invalidated Beijing's sweeping claims in the South China Sea. The Philippine government condemned the material as "demeaning, dehumanizing, and racist" and lodged a diplomatic protest demanding its removal.

The dispute escalated after Tarriela rejected Padilla's criticism that the government's transparency initiative amounted to "wartime propaganda." He maintained that the campaign merely documents Chinese harassment of Filipino fishermen and Philippine Coast Guard and Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources vessels operating in the West Philippine Sea.

Padilla responded by accusing Tarriela of escalating tensions and argued that Filipinos should not define themselves through racial caricatures.

"As for the Chinese media, aren't we all monkeys of different colors in the eyes of white colonizers/supremacists?" the senator said over the weekend.

Hours later, Padilla's office issued a separate statement saying the senator had already condemned China's AI-generated video but maintained that opposing Beijing's propaganda should not prevent criticism of what it described as inflammatory caricatures and "wartime propaganda tactics" by government officials.

Since President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. assumed office in 2022, the Philippines has adopted a transparency initiative that publicly documents encounters between Philippine and Chinese vessels in the West Philippine Sea, releasing videos and images to counter Beijing's narrative and rally international support for Manila's position. China, however, has repeatedly criticized the campaign while continuing to reject the 2016 arbitral ruling.