The National Security Council (NSC) strongly condemned an AI-generated video released by Chinese state media that portrayed Filipinos through what it described as racist and dehumanizing imagery while promoting false narratives regarding the West Philippine Sea.
In a statement, the NSC said the material was not merely satire but a “calculated attempt” to discredit the 2016 South China Sea Arbitral Award, which it described as a continuing affirmation of the rule of law in the disputed waters.
The council emphasized that the arbitral ruling remains legally intact, declaring that China’s so-called nine-dash line has no legal basis under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
It added that the ruling affirmed the Philippines’ sovereign rights within its exclusive economic zone and reinforced the principle that maritime rights are determined by international law rather than power, intimidation, or fabricated narratives.
“The 2016 South China Sea Arbitral Award remains a landmark affirmation of the rule of law in the South China Sea,” the NSC said.
The agency said the findings of the tribunal have not been reversed, modified, or diminished, noting that China’s continued rejection of the ruling has led to what it described as attempts to undermine legal principles through propaganda and personal attacks.
“Racist caricatures and manufactured narratives cannot erase legal facts. They only expose the absence of a credible legal answer,” the NSC said.
The NSC called on China to end the use of state-sponsored propaganda that allegedly seeks to degrade the dignity of other peoples and urged Beijing to demonstrate restraint, responsibility, and respect for international law.
It said adherence to the final and binding 2016 Arbitral Award, along with respect for truth and human dignity, remains essential to achieving peace, stability, and mutual trust in the region.
The council also urged Filipinos not to be distracted by what it described as provocations, emphasizing that the arbitral ruling remains the enduring basis for the country’s maritime rights.
“The cartoon is fleeting; the 2016 Arbitral Award endures,” the NSC said, calling on Filipinos to remain united and steadfast in protecting the country’s sovereignty and sovereign rights.