National Security Adviser Eduardo Oban Jr. condemned a video released by Chinese state media that portrayed Filipinos as monkeys, calling on China to reject propaganda that allegedly seeks to dehumanize and degrade the dignity of other peoples.
In a statement, Oban criticized the one-minute AI-generated video, which depicted Filipinos as monkeys allegedly being influenced by Japan and the United States amid ongoing talks between the Philippines and Japan on maritime boundary delimitation and discussions surrounding the 2016 South China Sea Arbitral Award.
“Far from satire, the video is a calculated attempt to discredit a legal truth that has remained legally intact for a decade,” Oban said.
The National Security Adviser emphasized that the 2016 Arbitral Award remains a landmark affirmation of the rule of law in the South China Sea, noting that the ruling declared China’s nine-dash line claim as having no legal basis under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
He said the award 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.
“Those findings remain unchanged. They have not been reversed, modified, or diminished,” Oban said.
Oban said China’s continued rejection of the ruling has led it to abandon reason in favor of what he described as bullying and racist imagery intended to divert attention from its actions in the disputed waters.
“When a legal position cannot be sustained before the law, the effort shifts to undermining the law itself, and those who uphold it,” he said.
“Racist caricatures and manufactured narratives cannot erase legal facts. They only expose the absence of a credible legal answer,” Oban added.
The National Security Council urged China to stop using state-sponsored propaganda that undermines the dignity of any nation and called for greater respect for international law and responsible public discourse.
Oban also encouraged Beijing to demonstrate restraint, responsibility, and respect for legal principles that promote regional peace and stability.
“Adherence to the final and binding 2016 Arbitral Award, alongside respect for truth and human dignity, remains the only durable foundation for peace, stability, and mutual trust in our region,” he said.
Oban urged Filipinos not to be distracted by what he described as provocations, stressing the importance of remaining united and steadfast in protecting the country’s sovereignty, sovereign rights, and the international principles that safeguard all nations.