Former Bayan Muna Representative Carlos Isagani Zarate strongly condemned the recent racist portrayal of Filipinos as “unggoy” (“monkeys”) in media content originating from China and circulated amid discussions on the 2016 Arbitral Award.
“Reducing Filipinos to racist caricatures is a grave insult to our people’s dignity and a dangerous provocation that undermines the mutual respect that should exist among nations,” Zarate said.
Zarate said the incident should not be viewed as an isolated act but as part of a familiar pattern of imperialist propaganda that has long been used to justify foreign domination.
“This is no different from how American colonialists once portrayed Filipinos as uncivilized and incapable of governing themselves. Those racist stereotypes were crafted to justify military conquest, economic exploitation, and political control over our country.”
He noted that during the early years of U.S. colonization, American officials and media deliberately depicted Filipinos as backward, childlike, and unfit for independence to conceal their real agenda of expanding American power in the Asia-Pacific.
“Today, we are seeing the same imperialist script recycled—only the actors have changed,” Zarate said. “Whether it comes from Washington or Beijing, racist portrayals that belittle Filipinos serve the same purpose: to treat our people as inferior and reduce our nation to a pawn in the geopolitical rivalry of major powers.”
Bayan Muna stressed that such dehumanizing narratives only inflame tensions and reinforce the image of China as a regional bully, instead of fostering genuine friendship and people-to-people solidarity.
“No political dispute, including disagreements over the West Philippine Sea and the 2016 Arbitral Award, can ever justify racism. Diplomatic and territorial differences must never descend into attacks on the dignity of an entire people,” he stressed.
Zarate reiterated that Bayan Muna’s position on the arbitral ruling remains anchored on its long-standing nationalist and anti-imperialist principles. Defending Philippine sovereignty, he said, goes hand in hand with rejecting all forms of racism and foreign domination.
The group demanded on Chinese media organizations and state-affiliated entities responsible for the offensive content to immediately withdraw such portrayals and refrain from using racist imagery against Filipinos.
At the same time, Bayan Muna “strongly urged” both the Philippine and Chinese governments to exercise “restraint and pursue peaceful dialogue and diplomatic engagement, placing the welfare of their peoples above geopolitical grandstanding and great-power rivalry.”
Zarate said Filipinos “should remain vigilant against all forms of racism and dehumanization, regardless of where they originate.”
“Our history is one of resistance against colonialism and foreign domination. We must never allow any country—whether from the West or the East—to diminish our dignity or treat Filipinos as less than equals. Respect for sovereignty, equality among nations, and solidarity among peoples must always prevail.,” he said. #
