Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. on Tuesday denounced what he called a “smear campaign” after a national broadsheet published a story alleging he holds a second passport — despite records showing he had long renounced his Maltese citizenship that would have disqualified him from holding public office.

The Department of National Defense (DND) earlier clarified that Teodoro surrendered his Maltese passport in 2021 ahead of his Senate bid and fully disclosed this to the Bureau of Immigration, the Commission on Elections, and later, the Commission on Appointments.

Teodoro expressed frustration over the report and the manner in which it was published in a radio interview.

“Una, natural nakakagalit dahil unang-una hindi ito totoo at pangalawa hindi hiningi ang side ko. Ito ay broadsheet ano?” Teodoro mused.

(First, of course it’s infuriating because it’s not true — and second, they didn’t even ask for my side… this is a broadsheet, right?)

He added that the request for a statement only came after the story had already been printed.

“Ni-libel na nga ako, tutulungan ko pa? Kung sana ako ay tinanong antemano, papaliwanag ko at ipapakita ko lahat ng katibayan sa kanila,” he said.

(They’ve already libeled me, and now they want my help? If they had asked me right away, I would have explained and shown all the evidence.)

Teodoro emphasized that he had been careful to resolve the matter long before entering the political arena again. He said he initiated the renunciation process early, anticipating how long it could take.

He noted that these actions were completed before filing his certificate of candidacy, and that the Commission on Appointments confirmed him as DND chief with full knowledge of his disclosures.

"Ito ay hindi lang fake news, kung hindi smear campaign," Teodoro said.

(This is not just fake news, it's a smear campaign.)

He also questioned why his side was not included in the original report: “Hindi hiningi yung side ko na pwede ko naman ipaliwanag, basta na lang inilabas.”

(They didn’t get my side, which I could have easily explained — they just went ahead and published it.)

Teodoro admitted someone had warned him of this report surfacing, though he declined to name names.

“Hindi muna ako maghahayag beyond that... after na ako i-smear, hindi ko tutulungan na gawin ang trabaho ng journalist,” he said.

(I won’t say more for now… but after I was smeared, I’m not going to help do a journalist’s job.)

"Alam na pupulutin ito nung mga pro-China at pagpipiyestahan ito."

(I know this will be picked up by pro-China groups and feasted on.)

Reservists rally behind Gibo

On Monday, the Association of Reservists and Reservist Administrators of the Philippines (ARRAPI) also came to Teodoro’s defense, condemning the allegations as “malicious and misleading.”

The group questioned the timing of the article, pointing out that the issue resurfaced as Teodoro leads efforts to modernize the Armed Forces and strengthen territorial defense amid growing external threats.

ARRAPI Chairperson Lt. Col. Michael Romero described the situation as a "desperate attempt to discredit a highly qualified and patriotic public servant," adding that the public should not be distracted by political noise when national security is at stake.

The group urged citizens to verify information through official channels and not fall for disinformation campaigns meant to derail progress in the defense sector.