Palace condemns AI-generated Chinese video depicting Filipinos as monkeys

Malacañang on Monday condemned an AI-generated video released by Chinese state media depicting Filipinos as monkeys, with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. backing government agencies that denounced the material as racist and offensive.

Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said Marcos had seen the video and supported the statements issued by the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and the Department of National Defense (DND).

“Opo, napanood niya po ito. Nakita po natin ang mga mensahe ng Department of Foreign Affairs at Department of National Defense at ito po ay sinusuportahan ng Pangulo,” Castro said.

(Yes, the President has seen it. We have seen the statements of the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Department of National Defense, and these are supported by the President.)

Castro said Filipinos should not accept such a portrayal.

“Kahit sinuman na Pilipino, hindi magiging maganda ang pagtanggap, hindi matatanggap yung ganoong paglalarawan na mga Pilipino bilang unggoy,” she said.

(No Filipino would take kindly to or accept such a portrayal of Filipinos as monkeys.)

The Chinese video depicts the controversy surrounding tensions between Manila and Beijing over the West Philippine Sea.

In the AI-generated video, a monkey dressed in traditional Filipino attire is portrayed as representing the Philippines and is directed by arms symbolizing the United States and Japan on what to sing.

After being called “stupid,” the monkey takes out a sheet bearing the words “South China Sea arbitration award.”

It is later thrown into the sea and blasted with a water cannon from a vessel, imagery that evokes encounters between Philippine and Chinese ships in the disputed waters.

The DFA earlier described the video as racist and offensive, while the DND said it demeaned the dignity of the Filipino people.

In an interview on Monday, Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. condemned the Chinese government's release of the AI-generated video, saying there was no justification for it.

“Walang kadepensa-depensa doon sa gobyerno ng Tsina sa paglalabas nila ng AI. Gaya ng nasabi ko noon, ito'y patunay sa turing nila, saloobin nila sa Pilipinas," he told reporters.

(There is no defending the Chinese government's release of this AI-generated material. As I have said before, this reflects how they regard the Philippines and their attitude toward the country.)

"So, ito'y nagpapasinungaling din sa kanilang magandang intensyon sa bansa. So, kailangan magising-gising na ating mga kababayan. No defense dito eh,” he added.

(It also belies their claims of having good intentions toward the Philippines. Our fellow Filipinos need to wake up. There is simply no defense for this.)

Following the release of the controversial video, Senator Robin Padilla said Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) spokesperson Jay Tarriela had escalated what he described as a “wartime propaganda” campaign against China.

Teodoro, however, maintained that there was no justification for China's actions.

“Well, I think there's no justification sa action ng Tsina ngayon. And there's no comparison with what China is doing with others that are helping us,” he said.

(Well, I think there is no justification for China's actions now. And there is no comparison between what China is doing and what other countries that are helping us are doing.)

In 2016, an international arbitral tribunal ruled in favor of the Philippines and invalidated China's sweeping claims over nearly the entire South China Sea, saying these had no legal basis. Beijing has refused to recognize the ruling.

The Philippines maintains that the arbitral award is final and binding and has repeatedly called on China to abide by international law. — MCG, GMA News