'GOOD to see you again,' went the greeting to me by Chinese Ambassador Huang Xilian as I approached him on the spot where guests were excitedly taking turns enjoying photo ops with him. The occasion was way past the sumptuous luxurious buffet dinner expected to be the highlight of the event that evening at the Dusit Thani Hotel. It turned out, the dinner, no matter the countless dishes served in a typical high-end Chinese lauriat, was just the appetizer to the main course — which was the unending flow of guests requesting photo ops with him.

How do you declare somebody with such an army of admirers persona non grata? This was the call of a number of senators and top leaders of the security sector. They allege that Ambassador Huang has failed to address the issue of China's continuing aggression against the Philippines, citing the laser-beaming and water-cannoning incidents by China Coast Guard (CCG) ships of the vessels of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) as examples.