The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) on Friday said it refuses to be shaken by China’s “political intimidation” presumably to silence the country’s territorial assertions over the disputed West Philippine Sea (WPS).

Among these attempts at intimidation is the ban imposed on Department of National Defense (DND) Secretary Gilbert “Gibo” Teodoro and his relatives, prohibiting their entry into Mainland China, HongKong, and Macau and engaging in transactions with any Chinese entity, reported RH 52 Edniel Parrosa.

In a statement backing Teodoro, AFP Spokesperson for the WPS RAdm. Roy Vincent Trinidad said no foreign pressure or personal attacks against their leader will muzzle reports of actual occurrences and violations within the country’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).

Trinidad called the “unilateral” ban “ungrounded,” noting that it is not based on any sanction. He also argued that Teodoro’s statements against China have not been “irresponsible,” being grounded in international maritime laws and the 2016 arbitral ruling issued by the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in The Hague, Netherlands.

Trinidad declared that, in spite of this, the AFP will persist in their mandate to conduct maritime and aerial patrols in the country’s territory.

In a Thursday statement, China’s Foreign Ministry claimed that Teodoro—who is among the Philippines’ most outspoken critics of Beijing’s maneuvers in the WPS—had repeatedly made “irresponsible remarks” about China, “(undermining) China’s legitimate interests and (sabotaging) China-Philippines relations.”

“To uphold China’s sovereignty, security and development interests, China has decided to prohibit Gilberto Teodoro Jr. and his spouse and child from entering the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong and Macao,” China said.