Philippine Defense Chief Says China’s Sanctions Won’t Deter Him

‘I will just keep doing my duty and uphold our nation in the face of the wickedness they are committing,’ Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro said.

Philippines Defense Minister Gilberto Teodoro speaks during an interview at the IISS Shangri-La Dialogue security summit in Singapore, on May 30, 2026. Minh Nguyen/Reuters

Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro on June 12 pledged to continue to stand up for his country following Beijing’s sanctions against him.

China’s foreign ministry announced the decision late on June 11, accusing Teodoro of making remarks it said undermined Chinese interests and damaged relations with Manila.

The sanctions bar Teodoro, his spouse, and children from entering the mainland, Hong Kong, and Macau. Entities and individuals within China are prohibited from engaging in transactions or cooperation with the Philippine defense chief and his immediate family.

In response, Teodoro said it’s China’s right to impose sanctions but cast it as typical of how Beijing targets those who expose its deception.

“That is truly what they do to those who speak the truth against their deception,” Teodoro said in a statement on Friday. “Their own countrymen and the others under their control suffer far worse.”

“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 added.

In recent weeks, tensions between China and the Philippines have flared up over issues including the Chinese regime’s construction of a new floating structure on a disputed South China Sea shoal, and Manila’s maritime border delimitation talks with Tokyo.

The Philippine foreign ministry also protested Beijing’s “unfriendly” move, saying it risks further straining 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,” a spokesperson for the Department of Foreign Affairs said in a statement, according to the official Philippine News Agency.

“Such measures do not contribute to building mutual trust, managing differences responsibly, or creating the conditions necessary for constructive engagement between our two countries,” the spokesperson added.

While Beijing previously imposed sanctions on lawmakers and officials from the United States, the European Union, and other nations for their criticism of the regime’s human rights record or support for Taiwan, it’s rare for the regime to target a foreign official of Teodoro’s seniority.

At a regular briefing on June 12, the Chinese foreign ministry’s spokesperson Lin Jian wouldn’t specify which remarks by the Philippine defense minister angered the regime, but pointed to the ministry’s previous criticisms of Teodoro’s comments.

Teodoro, at the Shangri-La Dialogue in late May, said the Chinese regime showed no long-term faith; meanwhile, Beijing said it offered Manila fertilizer and fuel amid shortages caused by the war in Iran.

“No matter how they sugarcoat their assistance to ​us, it ⁠doesn’t cut the mustard,” Teodoro said in an interview with Reuters at the sidelines of the forum in Singapore.

“It’s actually guileful,” he added.

Teodoro, who was appointed defense minister in 2023, is a vocal critic of the Chinese regime’s aggressive actions in the South China Sea.

At the security summit, Teodoro also criticized the Chinese regime’s refusal to recognize a 2016 arbitration ruling that invalidated Beijing’s expansive claims in the South China Sea.

He also voiced concerns about the communist regime’s espionage abroad.

“Recent espionage convictions in Britain and an elected United States official pleading guilty [to] acting as an illegal agent are not isolated incidents,” he said in prepared remarks. “They are indicative of a pattern of interference that demands our consistent vigilance.”

Jay Tarriela, spokesperson for the Philippine Coast Guard, expressed his “deepest respect and admiration” for the defense minister.

“This ban is not a punishment. It is a citation for service—proof of how fearless and effective Secretary Gibo has been against China’s bullying and illegal activities, in the West Philippine Sea and against its united front work in our country,” Tarriela said on X.

“We stand with you.”