Every country has its national security concerns. This is legitimate. At the same time the Chinese Embassy also has legitimate rights and obligations to protect the safety and lawful rights and interests of Chinese nationals.
We received report from Chinese workers of Sanjia Steel Corporation of what happened to them. Working photos show that factory employees, both Chinese and Filipino, wore only regular occupational workwear on duty. No one wore personal protective equipment (PPE). However, on the day of the raid, a group of law enforcement personnel made three Chinese workers put on PPE and pose for photographs on site, and subsequently made a great deal of publicity out of that.
Secretary Teodoro told reporters in an interview that “this was identified especially in Sanja, where the Chinese workers have PPE. They know that it’s dangerous, but the Filipino workers have no protection. That’s why the Filipinos are victims.”
We have to ask: is this national security concern or fabricated narrative through staged photos and framing?
——Spokesperson of the Chinese Embassy Ji Lingpeng