MANILA — The Chinese woman who threw a cup of taho (soybean custard) at a Filipino cop at an MRT station showed "disrespect" to all Filipinos, Vice President Leni Robredo said on Sunday.

"Hindi lang pambabastos sa pulis pero pambabastos ito sa bansa natin," Robredo said on her weekly radio show.

Robredo added that just as Filipinos show hospitality to foreigners in the country, foreigners should in turn respect Filipinos.

On Saturday, Jiale Zhang, a 23-year-old fashion design student, "suddenly threw" a cup of taho at Police Officer 1 William Cristobal at the MRT-3 Boni Station.

Cristobal intervened as MRT security officers barred Zhang from entering the platform of the station because of her unconsumed beverage.

Liquids are currently banned at train stations in Metro Manila as an added security measure after the twin blasts in Jolo, Sulu on Jan. 27. Unconsumed drinks have also long been barred at MRT stations.

The Mandaluyong police said Zhang was booked and detained for disobedience to an agent or person in authority, direct assault, and unjust vexation.

Robredo also called the incident a "wake-up call" to the "special treatment" given to Chinese nationals in the country. She again raised concerns over the rise of Chinese nationals working in the Philippines and its effect on the local workforce.

"Wake-up call iyon sa ating lahat. Ano ba talaga? Maraming reklamo na iyong mga trabahong dapat sana sa Pilipino, nabibigay pa sa Intsik. Tapos ito pa, parang kinakalinga natin sila tapos binabastos nila tayo," she said.

Last November, the Senate launched an investigation into the rise of illegal foreign workers in the Philippines, particularly Chinese nationals.

Illegal foreign workers are "taking away the jobs and livelihood" of Filipinos, said Sen. Joel Villanueva, who leads the Senate committee on labor, employment and human resources.