Former Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro “Teddy Boy” Locsin Jr. (INQUIRER FILE PHOTO)
MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Monday said the Philippine government “completely disassociates itself” from former Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr.’s controversial remark that “Palestinian children should be killed.”
“Such statement was made in his strictly personal capacity,” DFA spokesperson Teresita Daza said in a message to reporters.
Locsin, the Philippine special envoy to China, apologized for his controversial remark, clarifying that it was only a “sarcastic response” to another post.
Locsin said the post was immediately deleted when he realized it could be misconstrued and retweeted.
In the now-deleted tweet, Locsin said: “That’s why Palestinian children should be killed; they might grow up to become as gullible as innocent Palestinians letting Hamas launch rockets at Israel.”
Tension between Israel and Hamas escalated after the latter launched a massive attack in the Gaza Strip on October 7. Thousands of people have been killed amid the armed conflict, including four Filipino nationals.