President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. continues to stand firmly behind Defense Secretary Gilberto "Gibo" Teodoro Jr., despite recent reports questioning his citizenship status.

In a press briefing at Malacañang on Tuesday, Presidential Communications Undersecretary and Palace Press Officer Atty. Claire Castro reaffirmed the administration’s support for Teodoro, saying he still enjoys the President’s full trust and confidence.

"The President gives his full confidence to Secretary Gibo. He continues to enjoy the trust and confidence of the President,” Castro said, addressing the issue head-on.

The Department of National Defense (DND) earlier clarified the matter regarding Teodoro's Maltese citizenship.

"The President gives confidence to Secretary Gibo. Secretary Gibo still enjoys the trust and confidence of the President," Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Atty. Claire Castro said in a briefing.

In a radio interview on Tuesday, Teodoro strongly denied allegations that he violated the Philippine Constitution by allegedly holding a foreign passport, calling the reports a “smear campaign” aimed at discrediting him and undermining his firm stance on national sovereignty.

When asked why he initially applied for Malta’s citizenship-by-investment program, Teodoro explained that at the time, he was frequently traveling and splitting his time between the Philippines and Europe. 

Constantly renewing visas was difficult, and as a private citizen then, he was also exploring job and investment opportunities abroad, just like many other Filipinos.

He said Malta had an investor program, which he availed of.

However, plans changed during the pandemic, and when he later decided to return to public service and run for office, he voluntarily gave up his Maltese citizenship through both the Philippine and Maltese legal processes.