Allegedly the victim of bullying by superpower China, the Philippines, with its small army backed by mostly hand-me-down military hardware, is not in a position to provoke trouble in the West Philippine Sea.

This was the apparent message of Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. as he chided Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin for accusing the Filipinos of “heightening tensions” in the South China Sea (WPS).”

Interviewed by the news media during a visit in La Union on Wednesday (December 20), Teodoro said he doubts if any country in the world would believe China’s claim.

“My response to that is that only China believes in what they are saying. In truth and in fact, no country in the world, none - supports unequivocally their claim to the whole of the South China Sea,” Teodoro pointed out.

Reacting to reports by the international media that China has been accused of acting as bullies of the WPS, Wang rejected the allegations and instead insisted that “Philippines is heightening tensions in the SCS and is attempting to change the current status of Ren’ai Jiao (Ayungin Shoal).

He chided accusers of China, claiming that it is the Philippines that has been “breaching the common understandings with China and it is the Philippines who has on efvery occasion courted external forces to put pressure on China.”

Teodoro noted that China must realize that not one nation in the world has accused or blamed Philippines for the rising tension over the territorial dispute over WPS.

“And no country in the world, none to this time, has condemned the Philippines to what it’s doing. That’s the best proof of what I said,” the Filipino defense chief stressed.

In contrast, dozens of countries have backed the Philippines’ actions, particularly its numerous moves to resort to diplomatic procedures to resolve its complaints of glaring aggression by China.

Teodoro said these countries, that includes Canada, the United Kingdom, European Union and several in the ASEAN, have taken note of the repeated acts of harassment conducted by the China Coat Guard and Chinese Maritime Militia against Filipino fishermen and civilian ships traveling on Philippines’ territory within the WPS.