Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. and Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Chief of Staff Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. on Saturday denounced a “malicious and misleading” video by individuals they identified as Chinese intelligence agents pretending to be journalists.

In a video shared by the AFP, Teodoro recounted how the supposed journalists confronted him during the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, asking if the Philippines was merely a “proxy of America.”

“When I was asked, I argued with them for a long time because they asked if we were just a proxy of the United States,” Teodoro said in Filipino. “I told them, ‘No, we are not a proxy. We are Filipinos. But they are the ones stealing territory.’ So we exchanged strong words. That hasn’t been released yet, but they’ll probably twist it again.”

He also pointed out the absence of official delegates from Beijing at the event, saying, “Instead of sending a defense minister, they send young people pretending to be journalists — agents of their intelligence — asking disjointed questions and then twisting the videos.”

“Those aren’t real journalists,” Teodoro added. “I thought they were legit, so I responded because I’m Filipino, and the Philippines is being aggrieved. Naturally, I’ll answer back.”

Brawner said the same group later posted a video on WeChat accusing the AFP of dodging questions about the West Philippine Sea.

“They reversed the story, claiming we were avoiding their questions and accusing us of infiltration and encroachment into their territory,” Brawner said in Filipino.

Teodoro said he saw the individuals again later and greeted them sarcastically. “Earlier, I saw those kids again. I waved at them and said, ‘Hello, agents of the MSS (Ministry of State Security)!’ They didn’t come close after that. Those people are not real journalists.”

In a statement on Sunday, the AFP said the individuals violated protocol by trailing Brawner and “pressing for comments outside formal sessions.”

“They captured selective footage and twisted it into a misleading narrative titled ‘Philippine military chief dodges questions,’” the AFP said.

“The AFP and DND remain committed to truth, professionalism, and defending the Philippines against foreign propaganda,” it added.