Teodoro Locsin Jr.

Teodoro "Teddy Boy" Lopez Locsin Jr. GOLH (born November 15, 1948) is a Filipino politician, diplomat, lawyer, and former journalist who is currently serving as the Philippine Ambassador to the United Kingdom since August 30, 2022.[2] He previously served as the Secretary of Foreign Affairs under the Duterte administration from 2018 to 2022. He was a member of the House of Representatives from 2001 to 2010, representing the 1st district of Makati and later served as the Philippine ambassador to the United Nations from 2017 to 2018.[3] He was the host of the editorial segment titled "Teditorial" for ANC's nightly newscast The World Tonight.[4]

For other uses, see Teodoro Locsin.

In this Philippine name, the middle name or maternal family name is Lopez and the surname or paternal family name is Locsin.

The Honorable
Teodoro Locsin Jr.
GOLH
Locsin at Kantei in 2022
Ambassador of the Philippines to the United Kingdom
Assumed office
August 30, 2022
PresidentBongbong Marcos
Preceded byAntonio M. Lagdameo
27th Secretary of Foreign Affairs
In office
October 17, 2018[1] – June 30, 2022
PresidentRodrigo Duterte
Preceded byAlan Peter Cayetano
Succeeded byEnrique Manalo
20th Permanent Representative of the Philippines to the United Nations
In office
April 19, 2017 – October 12, 2018
PresidentRodrigo Duterte
Preceded byLourdes Yparraguirre
Succeeded byEnrique Manalo
Member of the
Philippine House of Representatives
from Makati's 1st district
In office
June 30, 2001 – June 30, 2010
Preceded byJoker Arroyo
Succeeded byMonique Lagdameo
Press Secretary
In office
March 26, 1986 – September 14, 1987
PresidentCorazon Aquino
Preceded byAlice C. Villadolid
Succeeded byTeodoro C. Benigno Jr.
Personal details
Born
Teodoro Lopez Locsin Jr.

(1948-11-15) November 15, 1948
Manila, Philippines
Political partyPDP–Laban
Alma materAteneo de Manila University (LL.B)
Harvard University (LL.M)
OccupationBusinessman, journalist, ambassador
ProfessionLawyer, politician, diplomat

Early life and education

Locsin was born in Manila on November 15, 1948. His father was the prominent newspaperman and publisher Teodoro Locsin Sr. from the Negrense branch of the Locsin family of Molo, Iloilo.[3] He studied at the Ateneo de Manila University and received a bachelor's degree in law and jurisprudence. He also earned a Master of Laws degree from Harvard University.[5]

Supreme Court nominations

When Senior Associate Justice Leonardo Quisumbing retired from the Supreme Court in 2009, Locsin was among the candidates nominated by the Judicial and Bar Council as a potential replacement. However, he was not appointed to the said post.[6] In 2012, he was nominated as chief justice to replace Renato Corona[7] but the post eventually went to Associate Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno.

United Nations

Locsin was designated as the Philippines' 20th Permanent Representative of the Philippines to the United Nations by President Rodrigo Duterte in 2017. It was announced that he accepted the appointment on September 18, 2016.[8] His term officially began when he presented his credentials to the Secretary-General of the United Nations António Guterres, on April 19, 2017.[9]

Under his leadership, the Philippines voted to abstain from the challenge against the legality of the Independent Expert on SOGI (sexual orientation and gender identity) at a November 2016 session.[10]

Also, the Philippines was among 10 nations that voted against a UN resolution urging Myanmar to end its military campaign against Rohingya Muslims living in the Rakhine state in November 2017.[11]

Additionally, the country was one of 35 nations to abstain on the UN vote to declare the US recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital null and void during an emergency December 2017 session of the UN General Assembly.[11]

In March 2018, Locsin submitted the country's letter of withdrawal from the Rome Statute, the treaty that established the ICC, after President Duterte expressed his intent to withdraw from the court.[11] Locsin vacated the post of permanent representative of the Philippines to the United Nations on October 12, 2018, upon assuming the post of Foreign Affairs Secretary, with the former post being filled up by his successor, Enrique Manalo.

Foreign Affairs Secretary
Locsin (left) with United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in February 2019

On October 11, 2018, Locsin announced that President Rodrigo Duterte offered him the post of Secretary of Foreign Affairs, which was held by Alan Peter Cayetano. Cayetano intended to run in the May 2019 elections for representative of Taguig–Pateros, effectively vacating the position.[12]

Locsin was sworn in by Duterte as secretary of Foreign Affairs on October 17, 2018.[1] His appointment confirmed by the Commission on Appointments on November 28, 2018.[13]

Ambassador to the United Kingdom

On August 30, 2022, President Bongbong Marcos nominated Locsin to be the next Philippine Ambassador to the United Kingdom, of which the position has been left vacant since July 7, 2022 after Antonio M. Lagdameo was appointed as the Permanent Representative of the Philippines to the United Nations by President Marcos on July 7, 2022.[14]

Then-press secretary Trixie Cruz-Angeles announced Locsin's appointment on the aforementioned post on September 4, 2022, with his appointment being subsequently confirmed by the Commission on Appointments on December 7, 2022.[15] Later, Locsin has presented his credentials on May 16, 2023 to King Charles III.[2][16][17]

Amidst recent maritime confrontations with China due to territorial disputes in the West Philippine Sea, President Marcos appointed Locsin on August 16, 2023 as concurrent Special Envoy of the President to the People’s Republic of China for Special Concerns.[18][19]

Personal life

Relationships

Locsin is married to Ma. Lourdes Barcelon, a 2010 candidate for representative of the 1st district of Makati who lost in a tight race to outgoing Councilor Monique Lagdameo of PDP–Laban.

He was formerly married to Philippine Stock Exchange director Vivian Yuchengco. They have two daughters, Margarita and Bianca.

Social media presence

Locsin frequently uses social media as a platform to air his views. He is pro-death penalty, citing in Twitter that the President should order the mass murder of cops who hurt others. He has been criticised for his controversial use of social media.[20]

Career history
  • Philippine Ambassador to the United Kingdom (2022-present)
  • Secretary of Foreign Affairs (2018–2022)
  • Philippine Ambassador to the United Nations (2017–2018)
  • Law Professor at San Beda University (2015–2017)
  • Host of #NoFilter on ANC (2016)
  • Radio anchor of Executive Session on DZRH (2014– Present)
  • Segment anchor of The World Tonight's TEDitorial (2011–2017)
  • Former host of Assignment on ABS-CBN (1995–2001)
  • Publisher and editor-in-chief of Today Newspaper (1993–2005)
  • Executive director of Philippine Free Press magazine (1993–2013)
  • Publisher of The Daily Globe newspaper (1988–1993)
  • Presidential speechwriter of Office of the President (1985–1992)
  • Presidential spokesperson, legal counsel and speechwriter, office of Pres. Corazon Aquino of Ministry of Information, Malacañang (1986–1988)
  • Locsin was known as the speechwriter of Corazon Aquino, and penned her standing ovation speech at the US Congress (1986)
  • Lecturer of US War College (1991)
  • Press Secretary (1986–1987)
  • Executive assistant to the chairman of Ayala Corporation and Bank of the Philippine Islands (1982–1985)
  • Associate of Angara, Abello, Concepcion, Regala and Cruz Law offices (1977–1982)
  • Editorial writer of Philippine Free Press (1967–1972)

Political and societal positions

Locsin has found himself at the center of various controversial public statements via the social media platform Twitter.

Filipino language

In March 2016, during the during the Visayas leg of the PiliPinas Debates 2016, he opined in a tweet that the Tagalog language was "inappropriate to pointed debate" describing it as "so long, so bullshitty, so useless". Conversely, he described English as "the civilized language" and "the language of men".[21] He later defended his comments, saying "show me that [Tagalog] is a good language. That it is effective in debate, that it can get its point across". He did however praise Luchi Cruz-Valdes for effectively moderating the debate in Tagalog: "she got the point across. In spite of the terrible situation, she was in control, and she did it in Tagalog."[22]

Philippine Drug War

Locsin expressed support for the Philippine Drug War on August 21, 2017, through Twitter, comparing the campaign against drugs of President Duterte to Adolf Hitler's Final Solution and said he does not believe in the rehabilitation of drug addicts.[23] He followed this with another remark that the "Nazis were not all wrong" and said people should keep an open mind drawing criticism.[24] He cited Hitler's military and economic policies that "are paying off even now in German primacy in Europe" but conceded that the Holocaust "wiped out his economic contribution."[24] Locsin later retracted these remarks by deleting the tweet, however threatened individuals who criticized him.[23]

Rape as a heinous crime

On February 20, 2017, the majority bloc members of the House of Representatives caucused to remove rape from the list of possible death penalty offenses.[25] When the official Twitter account of the ABS-CBN News Channel reported this, Locsin tweeted a reply:[26]

Locsin in a tweet said that while rape is a crime; an "indignity" and "outrage" it is not a heinous crime. Though he went on to mention select cases of rape as "heinous" such as a gang rape in India and an incident where the rapist is an ugly man. He then said that killing is not heinous or premeditated saying it's a common crime. His posts were criticized by some users of Twitter.[26]

Philippine Rise

On February 14, 2018, Locsin tweeted that criticizers of the Chinese names imposed by China on the Philippine Rise, which have been recognized by the International Hydrographic Organization, are 'childish and stupid', sparking a word war on the issue. Criticizers noted that Locsin is the current ambassador to the United Nations and should be one of the first to defend the Philippines' sovereignty and sovereign rights. Locsin did not reply afterwards.[27][28][29][30]

Sabah

The Philippines has an unresolved claim to much of eastern Sabah.

On July 27, 2020, a tweet by the Embassy of the United States to the Philippines regarding the donation of hygiene kits by Filipino expatriates from Sabah indicated that Sabah belongs to Malaysia. Locsin quoted the tweet and replied that "Sabah is not in Malaysia".[31] In response, on July 29, the foreign minister of Malaysia, Hishammuddin Hussein, called Locsin's remarks irresponsible and damaging to bilateral ties, and summoned the Philippine ambassador to Malaysia, Charles Jose.[32] In response, on July 30, Locsin also summoned the Malaysian ambassador to the Philippines, Norman Muhamad.[33]

Support of gasoline as a disinfectant

On August 1, 2020, Locsin responded to a tweet by radio personality Mo Twister criticizing President Duterte's suggestion of using gasoline as a disinfectant for face masks in the COVID-19 pandemic. Locsin asked Mo Twister "...what if [Duterte]'s right? Seriously, bro." He added that he knew of people in small towns who used to kill head lice by dropping them into kerosene.[34]

2023 Israel–Hamas war

In October 2023, amidst the Israel–Hamas war, in response to a tweet about Palestinian stone-throwing, Locsin tweeted "That's why Palestinian children should be killed; they might grow up to be gullible ... letting Hamas launch rockets at Israel." After drawing criticism, he deleted the tweet and apologized, explaining he "was not advocating for the literal death of anyone, but rather simply for the end of any ideology that condones terrorism." The Department of Foreign Affairs disassociated themselves from Locsin's comments, saying it was his personal opinion.[35][36]

See also

References
  1. "Duterte to DFA Sec. Teodoro Locsin: 'Be truthful to foreign leaders'". The Philippine Star. October 19, 2018. Retrieved October 11, 2019.
  2. Domingo, Katrina (September 4, 2022). "Ex-DFA chief Locsin is new Philippine ambassador to UK". ABS-CBN News. Retrieved September 4, 2022.
  3. "Locsin, Teodoro Jr | Personal Information". i-site.ph. Archived from the original on April 16, 2013. Retrieved November 7, 2009.
  4. "Teditorial". ABS-CBN News. Archived from the original on December 13, 2015. Retrieved January 11, 2012.
  5. Esmaquel, Paterno (November 6, 2018). "FAST FACTS: Who is DFA chief Teddyboy Locsin?". Rappler. Retrieved February 3, 2021.
  6. Purple Romero (June 14, 2012). "Teddy Boy Locsin nominated for chief justice". Rappler. Retrieved May 12, 2016.
  7. Lorenz Niel Santos; Karl John Reyes (June 14, 2012). "InterAksyon columnist Teddyboy Locsin among 14 nominees to Chief Justice post". Interaksyon. Retrieved May 12, 2016.
  8. "Teddy Locsin Jr. is new envoy to UN". ABS-CBN News. September 18, 2016.
  9. "New Permanent Representative of Philippines Presents Credentials". United Nations. April 19, 2017. Retrieved March 3, 2018.
  10. "PH gov't fence-sitting on LGBTIQ rights at UN". November 23, 2016. Archived from the original on November 23, 2016.
  11. "How the Philippines voted at UN with Locsin". The Philippine Star. Retrieved October 11, 2019.
  12. Ranada, Pia. "Duterte offers Teodoro Locsin Jr foreign secretary post". Rappler. Retrieved March 4, 2019.
  13. "DFA Sec Locsin hurdles Commission on Appointments". ABS-CBN News. November 28, 2018. Retrieved October 11, 2019.
  14. "Former DFA chief Teddy Locsin Jr. named ambassador to UK". Philippine Daily Inquirer. September 4, 2022. Retrieved August 22, 2022.
  15. Galvez, Daphne (December 7, 2022). "CA OKs appointment of Gloria Arroyo's daughter, ex-DFA chief Locsin as envoys". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved August 22, 2022.
  16. Domingo, Katrina (May 18, 2023). "King Charles III wants to go to PH: Locsin". ABS-CBN News. Retrieved June 28, 2023.
  17. "King Charles III hopes to visit Manila soon – PH envoy". CNN Philippines. May 18, 2023. Retrieved June 29, 2023.
  18. "Locsin appointed as Marcos' special envoy to China". CNN Philippines. August 16, 2023. Archived from the original on October 23, 2023. Retrieved October 23, 2023.
  19. Mangosing, Mangosing (August 18, 2023). "China using 'operators' to divide PH on WPS — NSC". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Archived from the original on October 23, 2023. Retrieved October 23, 2023.
  20. Leloy Claudio (May 14, 2012). "Teddyboy's homicidal view of politics". GMA News. GMA Network Inc. Retrieved March 24, 2016.
  21. Rap Torres (March 21, 2016). "Netizens irked by Teddy Locsin's remarks on #PiliPinasDebates2016". Manila Bulletin. Archived from the original on April 24, 2016. Retrieved March 24, 2016.
  22. Rose Carmelle Lacuata (March 21, 2016). "After drawing flak, Teddy Locsin Jr. defends 'Tagalog' comment". ABS-CBN News. Retrieved March 24, 2016.
  23. Pocholo Concepcion (October 4, 2016). "Teddyboy's tweet sparks word war". Philippine Daily Inquirer.
  24. Katerina Francisco (October 1, 2016). "Look Back: Hitler and the Holocaust". Rappler.
  25. Cruz, Rg (February 20, 2017). "House majority drops rape from crimes punishable by death". ABS-CBN News. Retrieved February 21, 2017.
  26. Valencia, F. (February 21, 2017). "Teddy Locsin Jr. Draws Flak For Tweeting 'Rape Is Not A Heinous Crime'". Cosmopolitan Philippines. Retrieved February 21, 2017.
  27. Teddy Locsin Jr. [@teddyboylocsin] (February 13, 2018). "@roilogolez Forget it. You mean China can just name anything and it will be cartographic nomenclature? Ignore it. It is childish and stupid to bring it up. It will give respectability to China's childishness. Do it if you want" (Tweet). Retrieved February 28, 2022 – via Twitter.
  28. DZRH NEWS [@dzrhnews] (February 14, 2018). "LOOK: Dating Cong. @roilogolez at Teddy Boy Locsin, nagbangayan sa Twitter ukol sa Chinese naming ng Benham Rise #DZRHNationwide t.co/dvvXKuOfzi" (Tweet) (in Tagalog). Retrieved February 28, 2022 – via Twitter.
  29. "Philippines rejects Chinese names for Benham Rise features". February 14, 2018. Archived from the original on February 14, 2018.
  30. Santos, Eimor P. (February 14, 2018). "Palace: PH won't recognize Chinese names of Benham Rise features". CNN Philippines. Retrieved October 11, 2019.
  31. "Sabah not in Malaysia? Locsin blasts US Embassy's 'Sabah, Malaysia' photo caption". ABS-CBN News. July 27, 2020. Retrieved July 30, 2020.
  32. "Malaysia to summon PH ambassador over Locsin's Sabah tweet". Rappler. July 29, 2020. Retrieved July 30, 2020.
  33. "Tit-for-tat: DFA chief to summon Malaysian envoy over Sabah issue". Philippine Daily Inquirer. July 30, 2020. Retrieved July 30, 2020.
  34. Pazzibugan, Dona (August 3, 2020). "Locsin thinks Duterte is right on gasoline as disinfectant". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved September 4, 2022.
  35. "Locsin apologizes for tweet on Palestinian children". CNN Philippines. October 22, 2023. Archived from the original on October 23, 2023. Retrieved October 23, 2023.
  36. Abarca, Charie (October 23, 2023). "PH disassociates from Locsin's sarcastic remark about Palestinian kids". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Archived from the original on October 23, 2023. Retrieved October 23, 2023.
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