MANILA, Philippines — Department of National Defense (DND) Secretary Gilberto “Gibo” Teodoro Jr. announced that direct military communication channels between the Philippines and China will stay suspended, pointing out that Beijing had repeatedly exploited the setup.
Speaking to defense reporters in a virtual interview on Wednesday, October 14, Teodoro clarified that halting these military-to-military communications is not a recent directive, noting that the policy has actually been enforced for roughly three years.
“Hindi ngayon nangyari ‘yan. Matagal na ‘yan kasi inaabuso nila ang mga proseso natin so hininto ko ‘yung direct communication except for one line, and then the rest is through the DFA [Department of Foreign Affairs],” Teodoro stated.
The clarification came after the Chinese Embassy recently brought up the status of military communications, which prompted discussions over whether Manila had only recently cut off the links.
Teodoro emphasized that official bilateral communication remains active strictly through diplomatic channels.
“The proper communications flow is through the Department of Foreign Affairs, not through us. We don’t have any joint operations with them. We don’t have any alignment with them. Actually, they are adversarial to us, to our interests,” he explained.
He also made a clear distinction between military forces and civilian law enforcement bodies like the Philippine Coast Guard, where open channels remain vital for maritime safety.
“The communications flow must remain open in the Coast Guard because that is civilian law enforcement. But with the armed forces, which is a sovereign instrument, and with the situation now, it is not appropriate because it only confuses efforts in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) and elsewhere,” Teodoro said.
Questioning Beijing’s persistence in reviving direct military lines despite existing high-level diplomatic pathways, Teodoro warned that the mechanism has historically served as a vehicle for misinformation.
“If there is a communication channel at the diplomatic level, which is the highest level, why are you complaining? Why do you want military-to-military communication so badly now? What is your intention?” he asked.
“It is a propaganda tool and can be used in a distorted and twisted manner that we do not want,” he added.