The Department of National Defense (DND) stood firm behind Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. on Friday night, Sept. 5, after the Chinese Embassy in Manila accused him of making “anti-China” remarks that it considered as “arrogant” and “ignorant of history.”

Defense spokesperson Asst. Sec. Arsenio Andolong said Teodoro’s views are echoed by a majority of Filipinos as they supposedly reflect the voice of a free nation that values sovereignty, independence, and human rights.

“The Secretary views the world with open eyes and is blessed to be in a country which cherishes freedom of speech, thought, and expression. These hard-won freedoms are fruits of a desire of the Filipino people for their sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity,” he said.

He stressed that China’s narratives “stem from an opaque and autocratic system” that denies freedoms to its own people while using selective history to advance its interests at the expense of smaller nations.

“The selective and contrived use of history to justify its selfish advances in world affairs serves as a threat to smaller countries, which they cannot subjugate. One need not delve any further to see that their goodwill is at a deficit. Their actions do not mirror their words,” Andolong said of China.

The defense spokesperson stressed that the Philippines seeks peace anchored on transparency and respect for international law, not “transactional multipolar arrangements.”

“I thank God for being able to live in a country that allows me not only to have open eyes but a mouth which is free to speak the truth and will not land me in a prison or consign me to a forced labor camp like the Uighurs and other unfortunate victims of a repressive regime,” he added, referring to the Turkic ethnic group in China’s Xinjiang region who have faced alleged abuses by Chinese authorities including mass detentions in reeducation camps, heavy surveillance, forced labor, and strict limits on religious and cultural practices.

Earlier, the Chinese Embassy lashed out at Teodoro for his comments on China’s policies, including its role in global governance and commemoration of World War II.

“It’s not the first time this Philippine Defense Secretary made anti-China remarks. His words showed nothing but his arrogance, disrespect for truth, and ignorance of history,” the embassy said. “We hope that the Philippine Defense Secretary could view the world with open eyes, move beyond the Cold War mentality, and refrain from being the source of deficit of trust.”

During the Victory Day commemoration in Baguio City on Sept. 3, Teodoro rejected Chinese President Xi Jinping’s call to reframe the history of the World War II by amplifying the role of China and Russia in defeating fascism, alongside the United States and the Allied forces.

He said doing so would erase the millions of people who died under the authoritarian regimes of China and Russia.

 “Why will we reframe the historical perspective when facts happen?” Teodoro asked. “It will erase the millions of people who were murdered in stalags, in pogroms by Stalin, and the 45 million people who died under Mao Zedong.”

In China, a grand military parade was hosted by the Chinese government, which was witnessed by more than 20 heads of state and government leaders, including Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Xi, Putin, and Kim also met during the Shanghai Cooperative Organization (SCO) Tianjin Summit.

But Teodoro questioned the intent of the summit, saying it aimed to promote an “alternative” global order that claimed to be fairer.

“They say they want a more just arrangement in the world, more fair, more equal, more free. But are they free? Can their people express themselves?” Teodoro asked.

He then referenced China’s crackdown on Falun Gong religious movement and the suppression of the 1989 Tiananmen Square demonstrations.

“What did they do to Falun Gong? What did they do at Tiananmen? For me, there's really no credibility. Deficit of trust and credibility at the end of the day,” Teodoro said.