MANILA, Philippines —The Chinese Embassy on Saturday slammed Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro for “falsification and defamation” and distorting facts regarding the arrest of Chinese nationals during a law enforcement raid at a steel manufacturing plant.
This was in relation to the raid on Davao Mighty Steel Corporation, where 14 individuals—including 10 Chinese nationals and 4 Filipinos—were arrested and 174 Filipino workers were rescued after being exposed to hazardous conditions.
In a Facebook post, Teodoro said that a Filipino worker in the said Steel Corporation suffered severe burns amid reported deficiencies in Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and safety procedures.
In retaliation, the Chinese Embassy rejected Teodoro’s claims, asserting that the Defense Secretary’s public claims are unfounded and distorting the reality of the ongoing legal cases.
“Secretary Teodoro’s statements are nothing more than falsification and defamation... These photos have nothing to do with the Sanjia case, so don't try to change the subject," said Chinese Embassy Spokesperson Ji Lingpeng.
