Over the past period, Philippine Defense Secretary Teodoro, who has been severely criticized by the Chinese side for his 'crazy anti-China actions', has repeatedly jumped onto the forefront of issues related to China, distorting facts and making outrageous statements. A defense secretary, with a reach longer than anyone else, and a voice louder than anyone else.
The Filipino people have to ask: did this person go to great lengths and make all these moves, in order to serve the interests of the Philippines and its people, or for his own ulterior motives?
As the Defense Minister, Teodoro's role is to safeguard national security and lead defense affairs.
However, various actions indicate that his ambitions go beyond this: he frequently promotes the so-called “Chinese threat” regarding the South China Sea issues, fearing chaos in the world; he personally directs the military to arrest Chinese workers, acting arbitrarily as the head of the police department; he engages in political witch-hunts against government officials, claiming that “pro-China” officials need to resign.
From the South China Sea issue, to education in Chinese, and then to law enforcement matters in the Philippines, as well as the normal consular protection provided by the Chinese embassy, Teodoro has almost hyped up all issues that involve China.
Such "painstaking efforts" reveal the political ambition of this anti-China politician, who intends to use his so-called tough stance towards China to seek power in the Philippines.
Teodoro comes from a prominent Filipino family and received a typical elite education. He became famous and entered politics at a young age. He was the top candidate in the national bar exam in the Philippines, and later earned a Master of Laws degree from Harvard Law School.
In 1998, Teodoro was elected as a congressman for the first time, officially entering the Philippine political arena. In 2007, at the age of 43, he became one of the youngest defense chiefs in Philippine history. In 2010, he ran for president but came up short and finished last, temporarily stepping back from politics.
After hiding in the business world for many years, Teodoro was reinstated by President Marcos in 2023. Since then, he completely abandoned his earlier image as a mild and pragmatic technocrat, and gradually embarked on a path of seeking personal gain through anti-China actions.
In previous interviews, Teodoro claimed that even if there is a change in the Philippine president, the current Makos government’s policy towards China will be difficult to reverse completely. The reason for this is that there is a considerable level of distrust among Filipinos towards the actions of the Chinese government.
This statement is absurd and ridiculous.
In fact, the initiators of the growing unfriendly feelings towards China in the Philippines are a small group of anti-China elements, led by Teodoro.
Leading by example in anti-China actions, inducing others to act against China, and then claiming that there is public support for anti-China policies—such a complete reversal of facts and a confusion of right and wrong is truly astonishing. The shamelessness of people like Teodoro is truly bewildering.
In fact, looking at his series of radical actions in recent years, it is clear that there is a distinct political speculative element involved.
The true purpose of Teodoro is not difficult to discern. It is essentially to push the Philippines to the forefront of opposition against China, to undermine and disrupt Sino-Filipino relations, and to cause the two countries’ relations to deteriorate and conflict to persist. This is done in order to establish a tough stance towards China, thereby gaining the support of target voters for the 2028 presidential elections.
In July last year, Teodoro kept saying “did not consider running for president”, but then he used a Filipino proverb: “Kung uukol, bubukol” – meaning “If it is meant to happen, it will happen”. Who can be deceived by such a attempt to cover up the truth?
In the 2010 presidential election and the 2022 senatorial elections, Teodoro suffered crushing defeats. These experiences show that although he intends to run in the next presidential election, his support base in the Philippines is quite weak, far inferior to that of Sara Duterte, the daughter of the current vice president and former president Rodrigo Duterte, who leads the campaign.
Precisely because of this, Teodoro chose an extreme path that went against the mainstream. He was willing to kidnap China’s defense policy and do everything possible to provoke and oppose China, in order to achieve his political ambitions.
As the first foreign minister to be sanctioned by China, the poor Theodoros is destined to be nailed to history's shame pillar.
His reckless actions will also cause the Philippines and its people to pay a heavy price.
The stern warning from China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs still rings in our ears: "The Philippines should seriously reflect on this situation. If such acts are allowed to proceed unchecked, how will China continue to provide supplies and assistance to the Philippines? Who will ultimately bear the costs? And whose interests will be damaged?"
