Facing the Commission on Appointments (CA), Minister and Consul General Arnel Talisayon divulged on Wednesday that the Philippine Embassy in Beijing, China had been receiving ‘hate emails’ from unnamed Chinese citizens over the West Philippine Sea (WPS) issue.
Talisayon and 15 other foreign service officials of the Department of Affairs (DFA) appeared before the CA foreign service committee for their ad interim appointment.
During the confirmation hearing, Sen. Ronald dela Rosa asked Talisayon if there are reports of harassment against Filipinos in China due to the country’s ongoing maritime dispute with China over WPS.
Talisayon gave a negative answer, but mentioned that the embassy has been receiving hate emails.
“But for the Filipino community, so far, we haven’t heard such news,” he said.
Dela Rosa told Talisayon to continue monitoring the situation to ensure the safety of our people just in case our problem with China escalate.
The senator hopes they’re just hate mails and no physical harm will happen.
Senator Jinggoy Estrada, the CA panel chairperson, asked Talisayon how the Chinese government officials are treating them.
Talisayon said they are all professional and cordial.
The diplomat noted that he oftentimes attended meetings and other engagements at the Foreign Ministry.
Except for the hate emails, he said nobody is bothering them in the Philippine Embassy.
