KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia—Malacañang has told Davao City Rep. Paolo Duterte to refrain from undermining the plans of President Duterte for the country's defense modernization.

"So unang una po, huwag niya pong i-undermine yung balak ng Pangulo na palakasin ang pwersa ng Armed Forces at matuloy ang AFP modernization (First of all, he should not undermine the President’s plan to strengthen the Armed Forces and continue the AFP modernization program)," Palace Press Officer and Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro said in a briefing on Monday, Oct. 27.

Castro called out Duterte for questioning the loyalty of Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Chief of Staff Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. and criticizing the deployment of United States “Typhon” mid-range capability (MRC) missiles in the country.

In a Facebook post on Oct. 25, Duterte questioned Brawner if he really was serving the Philippines and not any a foreign agency, alleging him of "boasting" about the missiles. Duterte even called him "trigger-happy for another country."

Castro pointed out that the President's plan for the AFP modernization is not for his own interest, nor to provoke war.

"Lahat ng ito ay hindi pansarili, hindi para sa anumang bansa, kundi para sa sarili nating bansa. Kailangan nating lumakas—ang pwersa natin—para hindi makapag giyera katulad ng sinasabi nila na pinapanakot nila sa ating mga kababayan na itong ginagawa ay parang nanghihikayat ng giyera. Hindi po iyon ang nais ng Pangulo (All of these efforts are not for personal gain, nor for the benefit of any other country, but for our own nation. We need to strengthen our forces not to provoke war like what they claim to cause fear to the people, but to ensure we can stand strong and protect ourselves. That is not what the President wants; his goal is deterrence, not conflict)," Castro said.

"Kailangan din pong lumakas ang ating pwersa at hindi tayo magaya sa nakaraang administrasyon na inutil na ituturing pagdating sa China aggression (We must also build our strength and not repeat the mistakes of the previous administration, which was seen as weak in the face of China’s aggression)," Castro added.

The Palace official further criticized Duterte for commenting on the AFP's effort to bolster the force, but remained silent on issues related to the maritime incidents endangering Filipino fishermen.

She took a swipe at the stance of former president Rodrigo Duterte on the issues in the West Philippine Sea, particularly the aggression of China in the waters, saying the former president said it himself that he was "useless" over China's aggression.

"Kung matatandaan n'yo po yung sinabi niya (If you can remember what he said). Duterte says he is inutil, he cannot do anything against China Sea aggression," Castro said.

"Sana madinig din natin sa kanila, pagka mayroong nadidisgrasya o nasasangkot sa pagwa-water canon sa bansang China, sana ay maingay din sil, madinig din natin kung ano ang kanilang mga saloobin sa mga nangyayarisa ating mga mangingisda, sa mga nararamdaman, at sinasapit ng ating mga miyembro sa Philippine Coast Guard (Hopefully, we can also hear from them when there are incidents involving China, such as the use of water cannons. Hopefully, they will speak up and express their concern for our fishermen and members of the Philippine Coast Guard who continue to endure these difficult situations)," Castro said.

The AFP has refuted Duterte's statement, saying Brawner "merely stated a technical fact about the system’s range and clarified that its presence is for training and capability-building purposes."