‘Manhid ang China’: Teodoro fires back at Beijing over Batanes claims

MANILA – Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro on Saturday described China as “manhid” (numb) toward diplomatic messaging as he rejected Beijing’s latest assertions questioning the Philippines’ historical claims over the Batanes Islands. 

Asked what message he wanted to convey to China following its renewed claims over the Philippines’ northernmost province, Teodoro said there was little point in directly appealing to Beijing.

“You know, there is no messaging that works with them. Ano ‘yan eh, manhid [ang China],” Teodoro told ABS-CBN News.

He shifted instead to a call for Filipinos to resist disinformation and support troops defending the country’s interests.

“Ang message ko lang sa mga kababayan natin, nakita niyo na dumadagsa na iyong fake news… ‘wag na natin patulan. At itong sinabi nga ni Commandant [of the Philippine Marine Corps], iyong toast niya to the marines, it is also dedicated to all those serving, even in Ayungin. This is part of what they are fighting for to stop this misinformation and disinformation. It behooves all Filipinos to support them,” he added. 

Teodoro’s remarks came after China allegedly reiterated its position on Saturday questioning the historical basis of Philippine sovereignty over Batanes. 

He immediately rejected the assertions, maintaining that the Philippines has sufficient legal and historical grounds to defend its position.

“We deny that historically China’s claims are indeed questionable, and we have the arbitral award to prove it. So this is just disinformation and misinformation by China… That’s why we have to be more resilient, we have to increase our deterrence so that the fake news doesn’t become or fact or a reality,” Teodoro said. 

The latest statements revive a controversy sparked by claims made by Chinese scholars during a June 30 symposium at Jinan University in Guangzhou, China. 

They argued that Batanes was a natural geographical extension of Taiwan and should therefore fall under Chinese sovereignty, while also questioning the historical and legal basis of the Philippines’ ownership of the islands. 

The National Historical Commission of the Philippines previously rejected these assertions, citing historical records showing that Batanes was formally incorporated into the Spanish colonial administration in 1783.

The commission also maintained that there is no historical evidence of Chinese governance over the islands. 

Teodoro questioned the credibility of the academic claims, saying China has used similar narratives against other countries.

Beyond rejecting Beijing’s claims, Teodoro stressed that the Philippines must strengthen its defense and deterrence capabilities to protect its maritime zones, particularly by establishing strategic military bases along the country’s Pacific-facing coastline.

“These threats we do not take lightly. Although we don’t want to panic anyone. Nonetheless, if your goal is really to secure the maritime zones, you have to put up strategic bases, even in the Pacific Ocean side of the Philippines. And we don’t have it.” 

However, Teodoro acknowledged that establishing these strategic facilities would take time, saying the government had already begun laying the groundwork.

Meanwhile, despite the approaching ASEAN Summit and the Department of Foreign Affairs’ call for sustained dialogue and cooperation between Manila and Beijing, Teodoro assured that diplomatic developments would not affect the country’s defense operations. 

“In so far as the defense department and the Armed Forces of the Philippines, it will not affect our operations,” he said.