Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro Jr. (PNA photo by Robinson Niñal Jr.)
MANILA – Malacañang on Thursday quashed the fake news reports circulating online that Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. has stepped down, saying that President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s trust and confidence in him “never wavered.”
In a statement, Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Secretary Cesar Chavez said the rumors, peddled on social media, were mere "pathetic attempts" to sow discord among the defense sector.
“Rumors to the contrary are pathetic attempts to sow disunity in an organization united in protecting our people and defending our territory," the PCO chief said.
“Busy as they are with their mission, we should spare our fighting men of the corrosive politicking that has no place in their ranks,” he added.
The Department of National Defense (DND) also debunked rumors about Teodoro’s resignation.
"There is no truth to the rumor perpetrated by certain sectors online about the supposed resignation of Secretary of National Defense Gilberto C. Teodoro Jr. We call on those who purposely propagate unfounded lies to be circumspect and refrain from spreading misinformation and disinformation," DND spokesperson Arsenio Andolong said in a message to reporters.
He also urged the public to be vigilant against misleading claims whose goal is to sow discord among Filipinos and divert attention from real challenges besetting the country.
Andolong said the DND chief and the entire agency are “focused squarely on boosting the nation's capabilities to protect our territorial integrity and sovereignty." (PNA)
