AMID what appears to be a war of words between Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro Jr. and Chinese officials, the Department of National Defense (DND) assured on Sunday, August 16, 2026, that it will not be intimidated by “rhetoric” and a “badge of deception.”
“The Chinese Embassy today released a statement reacting to Secretary Teodoro’s earlier reaction to the Chinese MFA’s comments,” DND Assistant Secretary Arsenio Andolong said in a statement.
“The Chinese Embassy’s response does not contain any answers. Instead, it is full of questions and rhetoric. This is a classic example of evasiveness and a badge of deception. This is in legal practice an implied admission of culpability. They cannot hide behind their disingenuous misinformation. Di tayo pasisiil!” he added.
Andolong issued the statement amid the exchanges between Teodoro, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun, and the Chinese Embassy in the Philippines.
On August 10, Guo said the Chinese government had taken action against foreigners suspected of illegally working or living in China, including more than 100 Filipinos.
In response, Teodoro on Thursday, August 13, condemned China’s actions against the more than 100 Filipinos, describing them as “plain and simple extortion and blackmail.”
“I reiterate that if these Chinese nationals were not involved in defrauding the Filipino people, which is now amplified by the cover-up done by Chinese authorities, then they will be treated in the same way as other law-abiding foreigners residing in the Philippines,” said Teodoro.
In May, Philippine authorities arrested 69 Chinese nationals during a raid at a steel warehouse in Tagoloan, Misamis Oriental. They were allegedly involved in producing hazardous and substandard products, dumping untreated and polluted water into rivers, and releasing untreated toxic fumes.
Teodoro, who personally visited the raided plant, linked the company to businessman Tony Yang, whom he identified as the brother of Michael Yang, who served as the economic adviser of former President Rodrigo Duterte.
“The individuals arrested by the authorities were the principals of these illegal enterprises. Chinese authorities stress the issue of the work visas and passports of these individuals while refusing to address the illegal activities that they perpetuated. This is an admission by them that indeed the acts of these individuals were illegal under Philippine law,” the Defense Secretary said.
“Filipinos in China have neither the intent nor the capacity to commit violations of Chinese law, much less on the scale perpetuated by Chinese nationals here. The fact that the Chinese government is actively covering up for these individuals is the best evidence of their complicity in the nefarious acts of these people,” he added.
In response, Guo said foreign nationals in China should abide by Chinese laws and regulations, adding that China’s immigration authorities perform their duties in accordance with the law and protect the lawful rights and interests of the personnel concerned without targeting any specific country.
“It’s learned that it was exactly this defense secretary who personally led the armed forces to seize and detain Chinese nationals lawfully working in the Philippines. This person’s consistent attacks and smears against China harm not only bilateral relations. It is the interests of the Philippines and all its people that will bear the brunt,” Guo said.
Teodoro hit back, describing the latest statement from the Chinese Foreign Ministry against him as a “classic squid tactic—disinformation through avoidance.”
“The Filipino people will not fall for this. Threatening that they will ‘bear the brunt’ is an indiscriminate threat to retaliate against all Filipinos, which is, plain and simple, extortion and blackmail beyond doubt!” he said.
In a statement on Sunday morning, August 16, the Chinese Embassy in the Philippines hit back at Teodoro, claiming that his remarks were “completely unfounded.”
“They distort the facts and turn black into white,” it said.
The embassy also criticized the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ (AFP) role in the Misamis Oriental raid.
“First, in May this year, Teodoro instructed AFP to join the raid into the Sanjia Steel Corporation and arrest unarmed Chinese workers. Is Teodoro a national defense chief or a police chief? Why did he have a hand in the law enforcement operation? What is he up to? Is that part of his portfolio?” it said.
“Second, if the plant violated environmental or other laws, why were the workers arrested instead of the people in charge? Why were only the Chinese workers arrested, while all the Filipino workers were released on the spot? Why were the Chinese workers even transported to Manila for detention by a military aircraft?” it added.
The embassy also denied Teodoro’s claim that it had tried to intervene in local law enforcement operations or issue threats of retaliation against Filipino nationals. (TPM/SunStar Philippines)