Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. had renounced his Maltese citizenship and disclosed it to Filipino authorities before taking office, the Defense Department said Monday. Philippine law generally disqualifies candidates for high public office who have dual citizenship, especially those with foreign citizenship acquired through naturalization, unless they renounce their foreign citizenship. Teodoro, who was appointed defense chief by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in 2023, is one of the most vocal critics of China’s aggressive actions in the disputed South China Sea and elsewhere in Asia.