Defense Secretary Gilberto “Gibo” Teodoro Jr. found an ally as a civic leader supported him in his fresh war of words with Chinese authorities over a note sent during a fireside chat at a defense forum in Seoul, South Korea, on 7 September.

Dr. Jose Antonio Goitia, chairman emeritus of Alyansa ng Bantay sa Kapayapaan at Demokrasya, People's Alliance for Democracy and Reforms, Liga Independencia Pilipinas and the Filipinos Do Not Yield Movement, on Thursday said China’s apparent bullying of Teodoro exposed the weakness of its claims in the West Philippine Sea.

The note, handed to the host by someone from China, reiterated Beijing’s rejection of the 2016 South China Sea arbitral ruling, calling it “illegal, null and void” and claiming it had “no binding force.”

The defense chief read portions of the note before rejecting Beijing’s position, saying China refuses to recognize the arbitral award because “you lost.” He also described the gesture as “coercion, bullying and aggression.”

Goitia argued that the episode revealed something else: how thin China’s legal position actually is.

“China may use its power to intimidate, but it cannot use that power to rewrite the law. The Philippines will not bow to bullying, because our sovereignty is not theirs to command. And there is a deeper message behind Beijing’s conduct: Bullying does not come from strength. It comes from fear. When you are confident in your position, you defend it with facts and the law. You do not need to intimidate anyone,” according to Goitia.

According to Goitia, China’s military and economic weight is real, but power does not make a legal claim valid.

He said the 2016 Award was issued under UNCLOS, and no amount of pressure at a forum in Seoul changes what the tribunal found.

“Beijing did not simply repeat a rejected position. It pressed that position through a note passed mid-speech, at a forum hosted by another country, and in front of other delegations. A confident position does not need to be imposed that way. China can reject the Award and repeat its position as often as it wishes. None of that makes the claim more lawful,” he said.

He maintained that Teodoro did not back down in Seoul, while the Philippines “will not back down anywhere, anytime, in defense of its sovereignty.”

Department of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Analyn Ratonel said they respect Teodoro's statement but did not comment further when asked during a Palace press briefing on Wednesday.

Tulfo too

On Wednesday, Sen. Erwin Tulfo also supported Teodoro, saying what he did was the right thing to do.

“Eh buti hindi ako kasama doon. Magkakaproblema po tayo,” Tulfo said, adding that Filipino officials should not allow such actions to pass without a firm response, especially in an international forum where the Philippines’ maritime position is being challenged.