China has sanctioned Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr., banning him, his wife, and his son from entering China and from transacting with Chinese organizations. The move, announced on June 11 — the eve of the Philippines' Independence Day — is unprecedented because Teodoro is the alter ego of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and the architect of the country's security framework.
This escalation comes over a week after Philippine authorities spotted a floating platform inside Bajo de Masinloc (Scarborough Shoal) that appeared to have an antenna and carried personnel. Bajo de Masinloc is a high-tide elevation over 220 kilometers from Zambales, within Manila's exclusive economic zone but not under any nation's sovereignty. China has controlled access to its resources since a 2012 standoff forced the Philippines to retreat.
Manila has urged Beijing to remove the structures, filing protests and demarches. Two months ago, China deployed ships to tighten control of the shoal's entrance. Teodoro's speech at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore — which China's defense minister again boycotted — may have been the trigger. He squarely dismissed China's good faith in negotiations: "For the PRC, therefore, in the Philippine experience, negotiations are therefore not a path to conflict resolution but a means of gaining advantage."
Teodoro has made similar accusations repeatedly. He is the most vocal obstacle to what Beijing wants as a "reset" of ties with Manila, which Marcos hinted at once before. Asked about this in April, Teodoro blasted China for "illegally denying us our rights" in the West Philippine Sea and "illegally occupying Mischief Reef and other areas."
This makes Teodoro the second top Philippine official sanctioned by China. A day after his Senate term ended in July 2025, former senator Francis Tolentino was sanctioned for "malicious remarks and moves" against China. Marcos recently appointed Tolentino labor secretary.
This year, China has ramped up attacks on the Philippines as Manila expanded military ties beyond the US and broadened defense alliances. The Department of Foreign Affairs described the sanction as an "unfriendly act that further complicates bilateral relations."
Meanwhile, a separate tragedy has gripped the nation. On June 8, 18-year-old Rene Baterbonia and 21-year-old Divine Adili drowned during an Ateneo basketball team training in Aurora province. They were training in a university-sanctioned boot camp known as "hell week" and "deadly" in past years, according to sports editor Jasmine Payo. Yet Ateneo coach Tab Baldwin took four days — until June 12 — to publicly apologize. The university asked Baldwin and team manager Epok Quimpo to go "on leave" instead of preventive suspension.
The deaths have sparked public anxiety, especially since multiple agencies are investigating, which weakens the oversight mandate of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) in disciplining teams.