Jamaine Punzalan

Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. Philippine Navy

Article (news)

MV MIGUEL MALVAR

ABS-CBN News

<div><br/></div><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/178460592309620250408-mv-miguel-malvar-dnd-teodoro-PN864.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. <em>Philippine Navy </em></span></span></span></div><p>MANILA — China&#x27;s latest &quot;provocation&quot; at Ayungin Shoal in the West Philippine Sea is part of a &quot;script,&quot; Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. said Tuesday.</p><p>On Monday, a <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/7/20/ph-navy-officer-sustains-head-injury-after-confrontation-with-china-coast-guard-1605">Philippine Navy personnel sustained a head injury</a> after being struck with a wooden baton by a member of the China Coast Guard during the latest confrontation at Ayungin Shoal, also known as Second Thomas Shoal. </p><p>Manila maintains a military outpost on Ayungin, the BRP Sierra Madre, which lies west of Palawan.</p><p>&quot;Kaya ito dapat malaman ng taongbayan talaga na lahat itong mga gawain na ito ay hindi random, hindi lang nagkainitan ng ulo kasi ang lalayo ng mga &#x27;yan, normally. Bakit ngayon lang nangyari? Bakit ang timing ngayon lang. Tapos ini-splice na nila yung video. Halatang, halatang namimingwit eh or something,&quot; he said.</p><p>&quot;We should not take this incident in isolation. Dikit-dikit &#x27;yan kasi walang ginagawa ang kahit na anong galamay ng Tsina na hindi naaayon sa isang script,&quot; Teodoro also said.</p><p>The Navy personnel was in &quot;stable condition with a superficial wound&quot; and he is set to be discharged soon, said Teodoro, who described Beijing&#x27;s action as a &quot;provocation&quot; and was &quot;designed&quot; ahead of Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi&#x27;s visit to the Philippines.</p><p>Wang is set to hold a &quot;highly anticipated bilateral meeting&quot; with Foreign Affairs Secretary Ma. Theresa Lazaro in the <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/world/2026/7/21/myanmar-s-future-mideast-fighting-hang-over-asean-talks-1019">59th ASEAN Foreign Ministers&#x27; Meeting and Related Meetings hosted by Manila</a>, state news agency PNA reported.</p><p>Teodoro accused China of releasing a &quot;spliced&quot; video of the incident in which, he said, removed the part where Beijing&#x27;s personnel made the &quot;provocation.&quot;</p><p>&quot;Ito ay panlilinlang na naman sa kung ano man ang binabalak ni Wang Yi na naratibo. Ito ay naratibo para on the defensive na naman ang Pilipinas para makalamang na naman sila,&quot; Teodoro said.</p><p>In June 2024, Chinese law enforcement personnel armed with knives, sticks and an axe attacked Filipino troops attempting to resupply the Sierra Madre, which was grounded to assert Manila&#x27;s claims to the reef.</p><p>The two sides said a month later they had reached a provisional deal on resupply missions to the Philippine garrison.</p><p>Monday&#x27;s clash at Ayungin comes on the heels of an ongoing war of words between China and the Philippines over their South China Sea claims.</p><p>Manila filed a<a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/7/17/ph-officials-condemn-chinese-state-media-video-racism-has-no-space-in-society-1316"> diplomatic protest </a>on Friday over a &quot;racist&quot; video posted by Chinese state media in which the Philippines was portrayed as a cartoon monkey.</p><p>&quot;I think China uses propaganda to lay foundation for some other action or hide a mistake or some action. Now, it goes against basic common sense that you would want to describe another people in a very offensive manner when you wish to portray something else, that you are friendly, etc. We feel this propaganda is aimed at their people, in order to steal their support for some other action,&quot; Teodoro said of the AI-generated video.</p><p>&quot;It has something do with, perhaps, a stage for some other action by the PLA (People&#x27;s Liberation Army) or to place a predesigned goal for Wang Yi to achieve. Chinese don&#x27;t do things at random... Everything for them is a staged act,&quot; he added.</p><div><strong>—With a report from Agence France-Presse</strong></div><div><br/></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO: </strong></div><div><strong><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/KKWIYGI5DH4?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span></strong><br/></div>

<p>China's latest "provocation" at Ayungin Shoal in the West Philippine Sea is part of a "script," Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. said Tuesday.</p>

China's latest "provocation" at Ayungin Shoal in the West Philippine Sea is part of a "script," Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. said Tuesday.

'Not random': Defense chief says latest China 'provocation' vs PH at Ayungin part of 'script'

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'Not random': Defense chief says latest China 'provocation' vs PH at Ayungin part of 'script'

ABS-CBN News

Published July 21, 2026 11:38 AM PHT

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Updated July 21, 2026 11:52 AM PHT

Read More:

China

Ayungin

Gibo Teodoro

West Philippine Sea

China Coast Guard

Philippine Navy

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