Teodoro: DND uses 'objective criteria' in identifying officials opposing WPS policy

Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. on Friday maintained that the Department of National Defense (DND) does not "label" Filipinos based on their beliefs but only relies on "objective criteria."

The statement came a day after Vice President Sara Duterte dared Teodoro to identify the government officials he had previously referred to as "pro-China" and urged to resign if they refused to uphold the country's policy on the West Philippine Sea (WPS).

Teodoro said the DND's position is guided by whether a public official both opposes Administrative Order (AO) No. 29 and refuses to recognize it.

"The DND works on objective criteria and no other standard in cases involving the reputation of our citizens," Teodoro said.

"In this situation, the standard is simple: who not only opposes AO29, but also refuses to recognize it—both elements being necessary, especially in light of our recent filing of nautical charts for Bajo de Masinloc and Panatag," he added.

Teodoro pointed out that his department does not engage in labeling individuals based solely on their political views or beliefs.

"In the same way that red-tagging and other such ad hoc practices are not employed by this organization, tagging Filipinos on the basis of belief rather than covert or overt acts is not done by the Defense Department," he said.

Speaking in Davao City on Thursday, Duterte said Teodoro should name the officials he was referring to, saying that it was unfair to make such allegations without identifying those involved.

Meanwhile, Davao City 1st District Representative Paolo "Pulong" Duterte criticized Teodoro's earlier remarks, saying elected officials derive their mandate from the people and not from the Defense secretary.

He also accused Teodoro of "demonizing China" and conducting what he described as loyalty tests for elected officials.

Malacañang, for its part, described Paolo Duterte's remarks as "very alarming," saying they raised questions about his allegiance to the Philippines. —VAL, GMA News