Defense chief blasts China official who insulted Marcos: ‘Gutter talk’

Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr.  (File photo by RYAN LEAGOGO / INQUIRER.net)

MANILA, Philippines — Defense Secretary Gilberto “Gibo” Teodoro Jr. on Wednesday accused a Chinese foreign ministry official of insulting President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. during a news briefing and stooping to what he called “low and gutter-level talk.”

In a statement, Teodoro also accused spokesperson Mao Ning of “spouting state-sanctioned propaganda and disinformation.”

Reaffirmation

Teodoro was reacting to Mao’s remarks on Tuesday telling Marcos to “read more books to properly understand the ins and outs of the Taiwan issue” after he had congratulated the democratically governed island’s election winner Lai Ching-te, referring to him as president.

“It is unfortunate that the (Chinese) ministry of foreign affairs spokesperson stooped to such low and gutter-level talk — resorting to insulting our president and the Filipino nation, and further debasing herself, the ministry, and party she represents in the process,” Teodoro said in a statement.

China’s embassy in Manila and its foreign ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Teodoro’s comments, the latest in a succession of rhetorical spats between Beijing and staunch US-ally Manila.

The congratulatory remarks on Monday by Marcos were followed by his foreign ministry reaffirming the country’s “One China” policy and stressing that the message of Marcos was intended to recognize the Philippines and Taiwan’s “mutual interests,” including 200,000 Filipino workers in the democratically governed island.

1975 Communique

Also reacting to Mao’s remarks, a Philippine Coast Guard official who serves as the government spokesperson on the West Philippine Sea issue said China seemed to have forgotten an important provision in the 1975 joint communique on the country’s One China policy.

Commodore Jay Tarriela stressed that, as stated in the document, “the two Governments agree to settle all disputes by peaceful means…without resorting to the use or threat of force.”

“I wonder whether this particular provision still matter[s] and not yet forgotten by (the People’s Republic of China),” Tarriela said in a post on X (formerly Twitter).

‘Affront to sovereignty’

University of the Philippines law professor Jay Batongbacal, a maritime law expert, also noted that the communique “also recognizes that the Philippines will continue to have other relations with Taiwan despite the diplomatic recognition accorded to the PRC.”

“Nothing in the Communique requires the Philippines to cut off all relations with Taiwan, including friendly relations in trade and economy which remains important for us,” Batongbacal told the Inquirer.

“The PRC statement telling another head of state what to do is an unabashed affront to national sovereignty, an insult not only to the leadership but also to the Filipino people that he represents,” he said.

Get act together

For opposition Sen. Risa Hontiveros, the episode showed that the Marcos administration should “get its act together.”

“We cannot have the President, the chief architect of foreign policy, say one thing, while the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) says another,” Hontiveros added.

Still, she said, “China has no right to dictate what we should do, just like they have no right to sail in the West Philippine Sea. China has done far worse things in our territories compared to a congratulatory message to Taiwan.”

—WITH REPORTS FROM REUTERS, NESTOR CORRALES, AND TINA SANTOS