Department of National Defense (DND) Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. denied allegations that he violated the Philippine Constitution for supposedly holding dual citizenship while serving in the government, alluding that the “smear campaign” could be connected to his strong disapproval of China’s actions in the West Philippine Sea (WPS).

Teodoro blasted a front-page report by a national broadsheet which claimed that he is still holding a Maltese passport. 

“Natural, siyempre nakakagalit dahil unang-una hindi ito totoo. Pangalawa, ni hindi man lang hiningi ang side ko. Ito'y broadsheet ano. Hindi hiningi ‘yung side ko bago inilabas ‘yung article (Naturally, it’s infuriating because first of all, it’s not true. Secondly, they didn’t even ask for my side. This is a broadsheet we’re talking about. They published the article without giving me a chance to explain),” he said in a radio interview over DZRH on Tuesday, July 15.

Teodoro explained that he applied for Maltese citizenship in 2014 under the Malta Individual Investor Programme (MIIP), an investment immigration scheme that grants residence or citizenship to an individual who passes a stringent and high-standard due diligence process.

He said he was still a private citizen at the time, and he obtained the Maltese citizenship and Maltese passport in 2016. He emphasized that throughout those years, he continued to hold a valid Philippine passport and traveled using it, particularly to countries in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the United States.

“At that time, pabalik-balik ako dito at saka sa Europe. Mahirap kung magre-renew ka ng visa palagi at siyempre naghahanap kayo ng oportunidad at hanapbuhay. Private citizen ako noon so naghahanap din tayo, katulad ng ibang mga Pilipino at the time, ng opportunities (At that time, I was frequently traveling here and in Europe. Constantly renewing my visa was difficult and I was looking for opportunities and livelihood. I was a private citizen then, and like other Filipinos at the time, I was simply trying to find better prospects),” he shared.

Teodoro revealed that he paid a €650,000 non-refundable fee required by the Maltese government, but his plans changed when the COVID-19 pandemic happened so he opted out of the investment portion.

In May 2022, Teodoro ran for senator. Under the Constitution, dual citizens may not run for public office unless they formally renounce their foreign citizenship. The supreme law also requires appointive officials to renounce foreign citizenship to qualify for public office.

Teodor said he had to renounce his Maltese citizenship both through the Bureau of Immigration (BI) and the Maltese process. He said his Maltese citizenship was renounced in 2021 before he filed his certificate of candidacy, and it took effect in March 2022. He noted that it was recognized by both the Philippine and Maltese governments. He, however, lost in the senatorial elections.

Teodoro said his family was included in the application for renunciation, but he confirmed that his personal renunciation was due to his political plans.

Teodoro did not mince words as he called the report a political hit piece.

“Ito'y hindi lang fake news kung hindi smear campaign (This is not only fake news but a smear campaign),” the official said.

Teodoro revealed he was warned last week that an issue related to his citizenship was about to surface, although he refused to identify who could be behind it. He hinted that the attack could be related to the geopolitical backdrop of his hardline positions on Philippine sovereignty.

“Napakalalim ng pagkagawa kasi itinanim sa isang pahayagan na kilala na bumabatikos sa ating mga patakaran laban sa Tsina (It was clearly a well-orchestrated move, deeply calculated, because the story was planted in a newspaper known for criticizing our policies against China),” he said.

Teodoro also addressed a public challenge raised by critics who are calling for his resignation if it is proven that he lied about his citizenship.

“I serve at the pleasure of the President [Marcos]. Nasa sa kanya na ito. Kung tingin niyang tama ‘yung ginagawa ko, good. Kung tingin niya ako’y liability, eh di ganoon talaga.  Hindi na kailangan ng courtesy resignation kasi all of us serve at the pleasure of the President (I serve at the pleasure of President [Marcos]. It’s entirely up to him. If he believes I’m doing the right thing, then good. If he sees me as a liability, then so be it. There’s no need for a courtesy resignation because all of us in government serve at the President’s discretion),” he said.

Teodoro said he doesn’t regret acquiring foreign citizenship, saying there was nothing wrong with it.

“Hindi ako nagsisisi kasi hindi naman pagnanakaw ng kaban ng bayan ang sinisisi sa akin eh. Ako nga gusto kong mabuhay ng matino, marangal, nagtitiwala sa akin ang maraming kompanya. At hindi pera ng taong bayan ‘yan. Dito sa trabaho ko ngayon, walang issue ng corruption sa akin (I have no regrets because I’m not being accused of stealing from the public coffers. I simply wanted to live a decent and honorable life, many companies trust me. That wasn’t public money. And in my current role, there’s no issue of corruption against me),” the defense chief noted.

He said he is not yet taking legal action against the journalist and the publication behind the article, but added that he is considering his options.

“Pag-aaralan ko. Ayokong magsabi ng kung anong gagawin ko next (I’ll study my options. I don’t want to make any statements yet about what my next move will be),” he said.

Meanwhile, Teodoro assured the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Filipinos that he has always acted with integrity and transparency.

“Dito sa Camp Aguinaldo, wala kayong maitatago na sikreto dito. Once na nagdududa na ang kasundaluhan, malalaman mo’t malalaman. Ngunit wala naman akong tinatago sa kanila. Lahat ng ginagawa natin ay sa karangalan at ikabubuti ng ating bansa (Here in Camp Aguinaldo, you can’t keep secrets. Once the soldiers start having doubts, you’ll know it one way or another. But I have nothing to hide from them. Everything we do is for the honor and the good of our nation),” he said.

AFP Chief, General Romeo Brawner Jr. vouched for Teodoro, saying that his allegiance and patriotism to the country “is very strong.”

“The SND [Secretary of National Defense] is very loyal to our Constitution, to our country, to our flag,” he said.

“Sa ating mga kasundaluhan, ang mensahe po natin sa kanila is that mag-focus na lang po tayo sa ating trabaho dahil marami po talagang problema ang ating bansa (To our soldiers, my message is to stay focused on our work because our country is facing many serious challenges),” the military chief added.