Universal Records Philippines has released an official statement denying their involvement in the "Iisang Dagat" project.

The record label was among the companies acknowledged by the people behind the creation of the track which talks about the Philippines and China's relationship amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

In their statement, UR said: "Universal Records Philippines would like to clear that we are not in any way involved in the track "Iisang Dagat". Contrary to what is included in its YouTube caption, the company did not participate in the production and promotion of the said song."

"Prior to its release, an invitation was sent out by Chinatown TV for the label to help in the song's promotion, which was respectfully declined by the label. The inclusion of the company name on the aforementioned caption was posted without our consent, and has therefore misled audiences with our non-participation in the project."

"We advise everyone to be vigilant in such matters, and to continue to watch out for their health and safety at this time," the post concluded.

Sung in Mandarin and Tagalog, "Iisang Dagat" was penned by the Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines. A post on the Chinese Embassy Manila Facebook page states the music video "is dedicated to those who contributed to our fight against the epidemic from both countries, especially the China Medical Expert Team to the Philippines."

However, it received negative reactions on social media for its message depicting the two countries as "friendly neighbors across the sea". The music video - which includes the Philippines' Jukebox Queen and Camarines Sur Vice-Governor Imelda Papin - earned over 148,000 dislikes on YouTube as of writing.