The Commission on Appointments confirms the selection of Gilberto "Gibo" Teodoro Jr. as secretary of the Department of National Defense in Pasay City on September 13, 2023. Mark Demayo, ABS-CBN News
MANILA — The Department of National Defense (DND) on Tuesday said it sought the assistance of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) over an alleged fabricated letter supposedly signed by Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. regarding an operation at Ayungin Shoal and the Philippines' cooperation with the United States.
In a statement to the media, DND spokesperson Assistant Secretary Arsenio Andolong said the letter obtained by the media was “obviously and absolutely false and fake,” adding that the agency had referred the matter to the NBI for investigation.
“This is yet another episode of foreign interference and malign influence that is intended to discredit the legitimate and lawful efforts of the Philippine government to assert its national sovereignty and territorial integrity,” Andolong said.
Teodoro: PH must ‘push back’ vs China, strengthen defense ties amid regional tensions
In the letter addressed to a certain Peter Enzminger, Teodoro supposedly said that the Ayungin operation on July 20, which resulted in injuries to Philippine Navy personnel, “achieved expected outcomes, exposing China's violent law enforcement and bullying tactics.”
He also supposedly reaffirmed that the US remains the Philippines' “top priority in national security strategy as the highest guiding principles” in his official duties.
“The effective safeguarding of the Philippines maritime interests cannot be achieved without US military, intelligence, logistical, and strategic support. I commit that, regardless of any changes in the domestic political climate within the Philippines, my support for the PH-US Alliance will remain steadfast,” Teodoro supposedly wrote.
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