Palace: Pinoys fighting for Phl rights can't be silenced

China cannot silence Filipinos who are "pro-Philippines," Malacañang said yesterday, after former senator Francis Tolentino was barred from entering Chinese territories over his supposed "egregious" conduct on issues related to Beijing.

- ALEXIS ROMERO

Presidential Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro said Filipinos cannot be prohibited from defending their own country, which is embroiled in a longstanding row with China over its acts of provocations and illegal takeover of land features within Philippine sovereign waters in the South China Sea.

"Regardless of China's reason for banning (former) senator Tolentino, that is their decision. But they cannot silence the true Filipinos who are pro-Philippines. They cannot be barred from defending whatever right we have in our country as well as our maritime rights," the Palace press officer said at a press briefing.

"As the President said, we will not yield even an inch of our territory to a foreign power," she added.

Castro said it would be up to the Department of Foreign Affairs to respond to Beijing's sanction against Tolentino, who sought reelection this year under the administration coalition but lost.