Philippine Defense Secretary becomes trending topic

A Chinese personnel attending a defense forum in Seoul, South Korea, took the opportunity while Philippine Defense Secretary Teodoro was speaking to hand him a piece of paper, reiterating China's stance that the 2016 South China Sea arbitration ruling is "illegal, invalid, and has no legal effect." Teodoro read out the contents of the note aloud to the audience, then responded point by point. In response to the claim that the ruling is "not binding," he said: "Because you do not want to be bound by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea." In response to the claim that "China does not accept the ruling," he said: "Of course, because you lost." He then added in Filipino: "Please show a little decency, and have a little shame as well." The audience applauded in response. Teodoro described the act as "actual coercion, bullying, and aggression," and kept the note, calling it a "souvenir."