Senator Francis Tolentino clarified on Thursday that he was only extending an “open invitation,” not formal summons to Chinese embassy officials, as the Senate launches an investigation into the alleged wiretapping of conversations involving members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).
Tolentino explained it was a friendly and polite request for the Chinese diplomats to attend the Senate hearing voluntarily and “without any compulsion.”
“Good faith will be seen on the part of the Chinese embassy if they will voluntarily send their officials to the hearing,” the senator said, adding “we cannot force them to attend.”
However, Tolentino noted that failure to appear before a legislative hearing might indicate that they have secrets to keep.
Recently, the senator said any foreign diplomat risks expulsion and a ‘persona non-grata’ tag should they be proven guilty of disrespecting the laws of their host country.
Senator Jinggoy Estrada, chairperson of the Senate committee on national defense and security, scheduled a hearing on the wiretapping issue next Tuesday (May 21) based on a resolution filed by Tolentino.
