Department of National Defense (DND) Secretary Gilbert “Gibo” Teodoro has denied claims that he is currently holding a Maltese passport, calling the recent news report “not just fake news, but a clear smear campaign.”
In an exclusive interview with DZRH Dos Por Dos on Tuesday, July 15, Teodoro clarified that he had already renounced his Maltese citizenship before filing his Certificate of Candidacy (COC) in 2021 for the 2022 elections.
“Noong bago pa ako nag-file, nandyan na ’yan. Ni-renounce ko na, tapos na-confirm ako. I answered, nagkaroon ako ng passport. Wala namang bisa, na-confirm ako,” he stated.
On July 14, a broadsheet newspaper published a story, alleging that Teodoro was a dual citizen, which he said was intentionally published without seeking his side.
“So, kataka-taka — ito'y hindi lang basta fake news kundi isang smear campaign, kasi hindi hiningi ang panig ko na pwede ko namang ipaliwanag. Basta na lang inilabas, at alam nila na pupulutin ito,” Teodoro asserted.
“Nalulungkot ako na isang broadsheet na hindi man lang ako hiningan ng clarification bago inilabas ito,” he further said.
Teodoro explained that he acquired Maltese citizenship in 2016 through an investor program while he was a private citizen, mainly to ease travel and business opportunities between Europe and the Philippines.
“Pabalik-balik ako, nakabase ako dito at sa Europe. Mahirap kung magrerenew ka ng visa palagi. Syempre, naghahanap tayo ng oportunidad at hanap-buhay. Private citizen ako noon. Naghahanap din tayo gaya ng ibang Pilipino at that time tulad ng opportunities,” he said.
The defense chief emphasized that he officially renounced his Maltese citizenship in 2021 through both Philippine and Maltese legal processes, and that all the necessary documents were submitted and validated before election day.
Teodoro disclosed that he had already been warned last week that someone was planning to revive the dual citizenship issue, although he chose to ignore it at the time since it was unfounded.
“Sabi ko, wala naman akong pakialam dahil hindi naman totoo na dual citizen ako. At lahat ng dokumento, kung ako tanungin, ipapakita ko,” he explained.
He added that while he was aware of who initially revealed the information to him, he is not yet ready to name names, citing lack of sufficient evidence.
“Ngayon na inisip-isip ko, siguradong napakalalim ng pagkagawa kasi itinanim sa isang pahayagan na kilala na bumabatikos sa ating mga patakaran laban sa Tsina. Ako sigurado, ituturo ito doon. Malalim talaga ito. Pati na isip-isip ko, itong mga white paper, konektado lahat ito,” he added.
Despite the controversy, Teodoro stood by his past decision to acquire Maltese citizenship as a private citizen, emphasizing that it was done legally and with no public funds involved.
“Hindi ako nagsisisi kasi hindi naman pagnanakaw ng kaban ng bayan ang isinisisi sa akin. Ako nga gusto kong mabuhay ng matino, ng marangal. Nagtiwala sa akin ang maraming kumpanya at hindi pera ng taumbayan ‘yan,” he emphasized.
