China sanctions vs Gibo, kin ‘unfriendly act’—DFA
The Philippines on Friday said China’s sanctions against Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. were an “unfriendly act” that undermines bilateral ties as a maritime dispute over the West Philippine Sea continues to heighten tension between the two countries.
China’s foreign ministry on Thursday announced that Teodoro, his wife and their child would be barred from entering the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong and Macau, after he had “repeatedly made irresponsible remarks” about China. It did not specify the remarks that had triggered the sanctions.
It said that Chinese individuals and groups would be prohibited from engaging in transactions or cooperation with Teodoro and his family.
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) noted Beijing’s decision to impose the sanctions but warned that the move could further strain bilateral ties.
“While the imposition of sanctions is China’s sovereign prerogative, the Philippines views it as an unfriendly act that further complicates the bilateral relations,” it said in a statement.
It added that such measures “do not contribute to building mutual trust, managing differences responsibly, or creating the conditions necessary for constructive engagement between our two countries.”
In response, Teodoro, one of the most outspoken Filipino critics of China’s activities in the West Philippine Sea, brushed aside the sanctions and vowed to continue carrying out his duties.
“That is their right,” he said in a statement on Friday. “That is truly what they do to those who speak the truth against their deception. Their own countrymen and the others under their control suffer far worse,” he added.
“I will just keep doing my duty and uphold our nation in the face of the wickedness they are committing here and even in our seas,” he said.
China quickly responded to Teodoro, accusing him of using anti-China rhetoric for political gain after Beijing imposed sanctions on him and his family.
‘Grandstanding’
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said on Friday that the Philippine defense chief was “still confusing black and white and launching smear attacks.”
“His words and actions are not his self-proclaimed ‘defending national dignity,’ but rather a grandstanding show aimed at reaping personal political gain,” Lin said at a press briefing in Beijing.
He said China would continue to take what it considered to be necessary measures to safeguard its sovereignty, security and development interests, referring to its claims to nearly the entire South China Sea, including the West Philippine Sea, waters within Manila’s 370-kilometer exclusive economic zone (EEZ).
Barring a Philippine Cabinet secretary from entering Chinese territory is unprecedented since Manila and Beijing established diplomatic relations in 1975. The two countries marked the 51st anniversary of their ties on Tuesday, June 9.
Earlier word wars
The recent move by Beijing fits an emerging pattern of retaliation against Filipino critics of China’s actions in the West Philippine Sea after the July 2016 arbitral award in favor of Manila.
In 2019, the late former Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario, who led the Philippine delegation to the arbitral tribunal hearings, and retired Supreme Court Associate Justice and ex-Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales, were separately denied entry into Hong Kong.
This happened after they had filed a complaint against Chinese officials led by President Xi Jinping in the International Criminal Court, alleging “crimes against humanity” for the marine environmental destruction caused by Chinese artificial island building.
In 2025, China blacklisted Francis Tolentino, a former Senator who is now labor secretary, after he opened a Senate inquiry into alleged covert Chinese information and influence operations in the Philippines funded by the Chinese embassy. He also accused Beijing of interfering in the affairs of the Philippine Senate.
Also banned from traveling to China were 16 officials of Kalayaan, Palawan, in February 2026, in what Beijing called a “reciprocal” move after the municipality proposed to declare Chinese Ambassador Jing Quan persona non grata.
In 2023, the Kalayaan municipal council also declared Huang Xilian, the Chinese ambassador then, persona non grata after a China Coast Guard ship’s water cannon attack against a resupply vessel headed to the Philippine military outpost at Ayungin (Second Thomas) shoal.
AFP in solidarity
The Armed Forces of the Philippines on Friday expressed “absolute solidarity” with the defense chief, calling China’s move as an attempt to intimidate officials who speak out against Beijing.
AFP spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea, retired Rear Adm. Roy Vincent Trinidad, said Teodoro’s remarks at international forums, including the recent Shangri-La Dialogue, were “clear, accurate representations of international law, the 2016 Arbitral Award, and the sovereign rights of the Filipino people,” rejecting China’s characterization of his comments as irresponsible.
The AFP said no amount of foreign pressure, legal action or personal attacks against its leaders would stop it from carrying out its constitutional duties.
“We will continue our routine maritime and aerial patrols, protect our fishermen, and defend our sovereignty and every inch of Philippine sovereign rights in the West Philippine Sea,” Trinidad said.
Admiration
Philippine Coast Guard Rear Admiral Jay Tarriela, the PCG spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea, on Friday expressed admiration for Teodoro.
“Beijing can bar whomever it likes—that is their right,” he said. “But sanctioning a man and his family for telling the truth and standing up for his country’s sovereignty is not strength. It is a confession that one honest Filipino voice unsettles China more than any ship in our waters!”
Commenting earlier on a Chinese-manned floating platform at Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal west of Zambales, Tarriela rejected Beijing’s accusation that the Philippines was trying to hype up the presence of the structure, which was photographed.
“That is not hype — that is transparency,” Tarriela said. “To ‘hype’ something is to exaggerate or invent it. We did neither. The imagery speaks for itself.”
He also warned against accepting Beijing’s assurances that the structure was part of “normal activities.” He cited China’s occupation of Panganiban (Mischief) Reef in 1995.
Beijing initially described what it had built up as a shelter for fishermen but later developed the entire reef into one of its biggest artificial islands, turning it into a military outpost with a long runway, hangars, radar and missile capabilities. —WITH A REPORT FROM INQUIRER RESEARCH
******
Get real-time news updates: inqnews.net/inqviber
