House members urge Marcos to seek Chinese envoy Jing Quan's recall

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Ten members of the House of Representatives called on President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos, Jr. to declare Chinese Ambassador Jing Quan persona non grata, or ask China to recall him, over his reference to using force in relation to the Philippines.

Lawmakers led by House Senior Deputy Minority Leader Leila de Lima made the call under House Resolution 1562, saying it is in line with the Philippines’ position which renounces war as an instrument of national policy, adopts the generally accepted principles of international law as part of the law of the land and adheres to the policy of peace, equality, justice, freedom, cooperation, and amity with all nations.

“On October 15, 2026, when asked about Secretary of National Defense Gilberto C. Teodoro Jr.'s characterization of China as a regional 'troublemaker,' Ambassador Jing Quan, speaking before reporters at the Diliman Dialogues in Quezon City, declared, 'If we want to use force, we may easily win. But no, we will not use force,' further remarking that the Philippines should consider itself fortunate to have China as a neighbor because Beijing would not resort to force because it loved peace,” the Resolution read.

“Under the Constitution, the President, being vested with executive power, holds primary authority to conduct foreign relations and to represent the nation in its dealings with other states and must, therefore, take decisive action in response to statements and conduct that undermine national sovereignty and threaten the country's security,” the Resolution added.

In addition, the lawmakers cited that the Chinese Embassy in Manila addressed the members of the Senate and the House of Representatives who proposed declaring Ambassador Jing persona non grata for the aforementioned statements, daring the members of the Philippine Congress to "Just do it” and accused Filipino reporters and politicians of "exaggeration, taking things out of context, and creating hype.”

“These incidents demonstrate China's disregard for the sovereign rights of the Philippines and underscore the inconsistency between the Chinese Government's words and its actions. Now, therefore, be it resolved, that the House of Representatives urge the President of the Philippines to declare Ambassador Jing Quan of the People's Republic of China persona non grata, or, in the alternative, to request his recall by the Government of the People's Republic of China,” the Resolution said.

Other co-authors of the Resolution include:

• Ziaur-Rahman Alonto Adiong, Lanao del Sur 1st District
• Adrian Michael A. Amatong, Zamboanga del Norte 3rd District
• Kaka Bag-ao, Dinagat Islands
• Percival V. Cendaña, Akbayan Partylist
• Leila M. De Lima, ML Partylist
• Jose Manuel Tadeo “Chel” I. Diokno, Akbayan Partylist
• Dadah Kiram Ismula, Akbayan Partylist
• Cielo Krisel Lagman, Albay 1st District
• Karl Fernandez Legazpi, PINOY WORKERS Partylist
• Mark Anthony G. Santos, Las Piñas

— BM, GMA News

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