Department of National Defense (DND) Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. dismissed a recent newspaper report regarding his old Maltese passport, labeling it as a “smear campaign” due to the reporter’s failure to seek his side for clarification. In a radio interview, Teodoro stated, “This is not only fake news but also a smear campaign, because they did not try to get my side, which I could have given. They just came out with the report. And they knew that it would be picked up quickly.”
Teodoro explained that had the media outlet reached out to him, he could have provided evidence that he had already surrendered and renounced his Maltese passport well before the 2022 elections when he ran for senator. He emphasized that failing to do so would have disqualified him from the senatorial race.
“I did the process early knowing it takes time. I renounced it at the Bureau of Immigration and had it revoked also in that country. Before I filed, it was already done; I had renounced it,” he said.
DND spokesperson Assistant Secretary Arsenio Andolong confirmed that Teodoro surrendered and renounced his Maltese passport in 2021, prior to filing his certificate of candidacy for the 2022 elections. The report claimed that Teodoro was issued a Maltese passport on December 22, 2016, valid for ten years. Under Philippine laws and the Constitution, dual citizenship is prohibited for public officials, especially those in Cabinet-level positions.
Teodoro mentioned that he had received a tip last week indicating that someone would raise the passport issue against him, although he was not informed of the specifics. “I said I don’t care because it’s not true that I have dual citizenship,” he asserted.
Despite the advance warning, Teodoro stated he remains unaware of who is behind the smear campaign, noting that “white papers” targeting him in recent months appear to be connected to the passport issue. When asked if pro-China groups might be involved, Teodoro, a vocal critic of Chinese aggression in the West Philippine Sea, refrained from commenting.
He explained that he obtained a Maltese passport in 2016 while seeking job opportunities in Europe, noting that he was a private citizen at the time and found the visa renewal process to be time-consuming and challenging. Teodoro was appointed as DND chief by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. in June 2023, having previously held the same position from August 2007 to November 2009 under then-President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.