October 30, 2024

According to a Monday report from Reuters, Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro said in an interview that China's "misbehavior" in the South China Sea has placed the Philippines at the forefront of regional security concerns. "Simply put, China has given the Philippines some prominence that in normal terms, if everybody followed the rules of the road, if they didn't do bad things, then this prominence of the Philippines would not be there," he said.

Indeed, the Philippines now has become prominent in the South China Sea, but definitely not in a positive light. Teodoro's comments, an attempt to cover the Philippines' misbehaviors, released several wrong messages. In fact, be it at Ren'ai Jiao (also known as Ren'ai Reef) or Xianbin Jiao (also known as Xianbin Reef), Manila is the first one to escalate the situation by provoking China, while China's responses are counteraction to the Philippines' provocations to defend its legitimate rights and interests in the region.

Teodoro's words misinterpret not only the nature of China's actions but also his country's so-called "prominence," which he presented as if it were a "medal of honor." This shows that some Philippine politicians are not ashamed but take pride in Manila's provocative behavior on the South China Sea issue.

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