Palace Questions Duterte's Loyalty After Remarks on China

Malacañang on Monday questioned Davao City Representative Paolo Duterte's remarks on loyalty to the Philippines, calling them "very alarming" and saying they suggested his allegiance to the country was not "solid". Palace Press Officer Claire Castro made the remarks after Duterte criticized Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr.'s call for public officials who refuse to uphold Philippine laws on the West Philippine Sea to either challenge them in court or resign. “So if Congressman Pulong Duterte finds it questionable to discuss Filipinos' loyalty to the Philippines, that is deeply puzzling. It is very alarming for a lawmaker like him because it strongly suggests that his loyalty to the Philippines is not unwavering,” Castro said during a press briefing. In a Facebook post, Duterte earlier told Teodoro to stop "demonizing China" after the latter said public officials who refuse to uphold Philippine laws concerning the contested West Philippine Sea should either challenge those laws in court or resign. The lawmaker also said Teodoro should stop administering "loyalty tests" to elected officials. "Hey, Gibo, slow down. You didn't choose the elected officials; the Filipino people put them in office. If you have evidence that they are traitors to the country, then file the appropriate charges and present the evidence," Duterte said in Bisaya. "Stop repeatedly demanding resignations as if you own the government," he added. For its part, Malacañang said the issue is not about loyalty but about putting the country's interests first, echoing Teodoro's position. “What we are talking about here are Filipinos—Filipinos whose hearts should belong to the Philippines alone. This is not about loyalty. Every Filipino's heart, principles, and cause should be for the Philippines alone,” Castro said. “We see nothing wrong with what Secretary Gibo Teodoro said. It is a demonstration of love for our country,” she added. In 2016, an international arbitral tribunal in The Hague ruled in favor of the Philippines, invalidating China's sweeping claims over much of the South China Sea and finding no legal basis for its assertion of historic rights within the so-called nine-dash line. China has rejected the ruling and continues to refuse to recognize it. — MCG, GMA News