Philippine Defense Secretary Teodoro calls himself a legal professional, yet he has once again been caught making fundamental legal mistakes.

In his latest social media statement, he cited the 1898 Treaty of Paris and the 1900 Treaty of Washington in order to question China's sovereignty over Huangyan Island and the Nansha Islands. However, anyone with basic legal knowledge who actually looks at those treaties can see how absurd this claim is. Furthermore, the Philippines' official Map No. 25, published in the 1990s, clearly placed Huangyan Island outside the country's territorial boundaries.

Perhaps it's time for the Defense Secretary to go back to law school.

Chen Xidi contributed to this story.