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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider DND reminds Chinese Embassy: Not obliged to answer your questions

DND reminds Chinese Embassy: Not obliged to answer your questions

PCG demands respect from embassy

Published Aug 17, 2026 02:30 pm

At A Glance

  • The Department of National Defense (DND) said it is not obliged to answer questions from the Chinese Embassy over the arrest of 69 Chinese nationals during a raid on a steel plant in Misamis Oriental.
  • DND spokesperson Asec. Arsenio Andolong said the embassy's statements amounted to interference in Philippine internal affairs and vowed to continue enforcing Philippine laws regardless of objections from China.
  • PCG spokesperson for West Philippine Sea (WPS) Rear Adm. Jay Tarriela backed the DND and criticized the embassy's supposed belittling of Philippine officials defending the country's rights in the WPS, saying Sec. Gilberto "Gibo" Teodoro and the DND "deserve nothing less than respect."
Flags of the Philippines (left), China (Unsplash)
Flags of the Philippines (left), China (Unsplash)
The Department of National Defense (DND) on Sunday, Aug. 16, told the Chinese Embassy to stop demanding explanations from the Philippine government regarding the arrest of Chinese nationals during a raid at a steel manufacturing company in Misamis Oriental, saying Beijing’s latest statement amounted to interference in the country’s internal affairs.
“The DND is under no obligation to answer questions from any foreign government or embassy,” DND spokesperson Assistant Secretary Arsenio Andolong said.
“The latest statement from the Chinese Embassy is a blatant example of interference in Philippine internal affairs and a twisted abuse of the freedoms guaranteed by the Philippine Constitution,” he added.
The latest exchange is part of a continuing “word war” between the DND and Chinese officials over the country’s enforcement actions involving Chinese nationals and companies in the country.
The dispute intensified after the raid on Philippine Sanjia Steel Corp. in Tagoloan, Misamis Oriental in May where law enforcement authorities arrested 69 Chinese nationals during the operation.
Radioactive materials were also detected at the facility while authorities raised concerns over the quality of steel products manufactured there.
The Chinese Embassy earlier protested the arrests and questioned the treatment of its nationals.
The DND, however, maintained that the operation was based on suspected violations rather than the nationality of those involved.
“It is the Chinese Embassy that is under scrutiny and being questioned here for its apparent coddling of illegal activities within the sovereign territory of the Philippines,” Andolong stated.
The defense department also rejected the embassy’s manner of responding to Philippine officials, describing it as “evasive”, “crass,” and “galling behavior.”
“No foreign government, especially China, has the right to demand answers from the DND. This is blatant interference in the internal affairs of our country. We will not stop enforcing the laws of the Republic and suppressing violations of those laws, whether anyone agrees or disagrees, including the Chinese Embassy,” Andolong stressed.
PCG backs DND in rebuke of Chinese Embassy
Meanwhile, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) has thrown its support behind the DND after its latest clash with the Chinese Embassy, saying Filipino officials should not be treated with disrespect in their own country.
PCG spokesperson Rear Adm. Jay Tarriela questioned how the Philippines reached a point where a foreign diplomatic mission could publicly criticize government officials over the country’s efforts to defend its maritime rights.
“How did we reach this stage in our history where a foreign embassy seems to be insulting our Filipino identity in our own country?” Tarriela said.
He said the embassy’s statements had gone beyond a normal diplomatic disagreement.
“They have no hesitation in issuing statements that seem to belittle officials of our own government simply because they oppose their abuse of our rights in the West Philippine Sea, while they themselves live and set foot on Philippine soil,” he noted.
Tarriela, who has been among the most vocal critics of Chinese activities in the West Philippine Sea, said the issue should not be reduced to a dispute between individual officials.
“Is this really the kind of diplomacy that the Ambassador of China now practices toward us?” he asked.
“As a Filipino, I do not think we deserve this. Secretary Gibo and the Department of National Defense deserve nothing less than respect,” he added.

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DND PCG Chinese Embassy word war
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