MANILA - Sen. Risa Hontiveros on Tuesday called for the "immediate" cancellation of the "Wow China" program aired on state radio Radyo Pilipinas as it allegedly "promotes China and its state ideology" on a platform financed by taxpayers' money.

"Wow China," a collaboration between the Philippine Broadcasting Service (PBS) and China Radio International, was introduced on the government's AM station as "cultural-feature program" that focuses on Chinese culture, traditions and practices.

"Filipino taxpayers should be indignant that we are essentially paying for a radio show that promotes China's policies," Hontiveros said in a statement.

"'Wow China should be cancelled immediately," she said, describing airing of the program as a "betrayal of the Filipino people."

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The Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) and PBS should "explain to Filipino taxpayers why it allowed the airing of Chinese state propaganda in a government-owned radio station," the senator said.

"It is also very hypocritical how the government is critical of alleged foreign ownership of other Filipino-owned media entities, but is aiding and abetting this clear foreign encroachment in our own."

"PCOO should be fulfilling its mandate of helping the Filipino people with relevant and timely information especially during this COVID-19 pandemic, but instead, it is allowing a program that promotes China and its state ideology," she said.

"We have let Chinese propaganda reach our shores. Inaangkin na nga nila ang West Philippine Sea, pati ba naman ang radyo natin sa kanila na rin?" she said.

The Philippines and China have had soured ties over boat ramming incidents in the West Philippines Sea where the two countries have overlapping claims.

In 2016, a Hague court ruled in favor of the Philippines and invalidated China's claims based on its 9-dash line map.

President Rodrigo Duterte has yet to enforce the ruling as he forged closer ties with Asia's largest economy in exchange of loans for his administration's massive infrastructure push.

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