MANILA, Philippines -- (UPDATE) Senator Maria Ana Consuelo Madrigal's insinuation that First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo and the Chinese embassy were colluding in the botched $329-million national broadband network contract with China's ZTE Corp. was “extremely irresponsible,” the Chinese embassy said in a statement Wednesday.

In an e-mail to media outfits, the embassy said: “What Senator Madrigal said doesn’t tally with the facts. Such remarks are extremely irresponsible.”

On Tuesday's Senate hearing on the NBN deal, Madrigal cited a letter from then National Economic and Development Authority director general Romulo Neri to the Chinese ambassador, which contained a marginal note which indicated “FG 1\F” to prove the collusion.

Madrigal, in a statement, said Wednesday she was “saddened by the reaction of the Chinese embassy” even as she said she was just performing her duty as a senator.

“It is in the interest of both the Filipino and Chinese people that we ferret out the truth,” she said.