Ten members of the Philippine House of Representatives filed a resolution on Wednesday, October 21, asking President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to either declare Chinese Ambassador Jing Quan persona non grata or formally request that Beijing withdraw him. The measure, House Resolution No. 1562, was authored by House Senior Deputy Minority Leader Leila de Lima of Mamamayang Liberal and House Assistant Minority Leader Chel Diokno of Akbayan, together with eight other lawmakers, according to Rappler.
The filing follows parallel moves in the Senate, where Erwin Tulfo and Risa Hontiveros have each put forward similar resolutions. Rappler reports that the House group acted after a statement by Jing on October 15, in which he said that if China chose to use force, "we may easily win." Philippine officials, including the President, later described the remark as sounding like a threat.
Why it matters
The resolution tests how far Congress can push a diplomatic confrontation with Beijing. Under the Philippine Constitution, the conduct of foreign relations rests with the President, so the lawmakers can only urge action rather than compel it. Their filing nonetheless signals widening pressure on Malacañang to respond firmly, and it places the question of the ambassador's status squarely on the President's desk.
The dispute also carries economic weight. Separate reporting by the Philippine News Agency has noted that an end to the maritime row would benefit both the Philippine and Chinese economies, a reminder that the diplomatic standoff sits alongside significant trade ties.
Lawmakers invoke constitutional authority
The proposed resolution argues that the President holds primary authority over foreign affairs and must therefore act against statements and conduct that undermine national sovereignty and threaten the country's security.
Before filing the measure, the lawmakers raised concerns over both Jing's remark and the Chinese Embassy's response to criticism from Philippine legislators. They described the embassy's language as undiplomatic, saying it taunted the government into declaring the ambassador persona non grata and did little to encourage serious dialogue between two sovereign nations. In their view, the response reflected a position that the Philippines should simply accept China's threats and submit to its demands.
"The Philippines must not be cowed into silence in the face of such arrogance," the lawmakers said, according to Rappler.
The embassy had challenged both chambers of Congress to proceed with a persona non grata declaration and to "stop bluffing." It also warned that Philippine officials would be barred from entering China if Jing were declared persona non grata.
A split among legislators
The push is not unanimous. Inquirer.net reports that Senator Risa Hontiveros has called for the envoy's ouster, while Senator Robin Padilla described Jing as a "gentleman" — a contrast that suggests the campaign to remove the ambassador does not yet command uniform support in the Senate.
Former senator Francis Pangilinan took a different angle, directing his appeal at the President. Philstar.com reports that Pangilinan reminded Marcos that he had sent former president Rodrigo Duterte and former House speaker Martin Romualdez to jail, arguing that the same resolve could be applied to expelling China's envoy. BusinessWorld Online likewise reported that lawmakers are pressing Marcos to act following the "force" remarks.
The resolution's authors have framed their case around a sequence of events: Jing's October 15 statement, the official Philippine reaction treating it as a threat, and the embassy's subsequent dismissal of congressional objections. Each element is cited in the measure as grounds for presidential action.
What to watch
Whether Malacañang acts on the resolution — and whether the Senate consolidates behind its own versions — will determine if the campaign moves from symbolic filing to an actual diplomatic request to Beijing.
