By Junex Doronio
MANILA – Defense Secretary Gilberto “Gibo” Teodoro Jr. emphasized the need for new legislation to enhance the country’s defense capabilities, especially in light of China’s aggression in the West Philippine Sea.
On Thursday (29 Aug 2024), Teodoro pointed out that existing laws on external loans limit defense acquisitions to only $300 million.
During a congressional budget hearing, Teodoro revealed that the Philippines has begun soliciting offers to procure 40 new multi-role fighter aircraft to strengthen its territorial defense.
“For example, acquiring just a dozen multi-role fighters will not make any significant difference. The minimum we need is 36 aircraft, which constitutes only a squadron and a half but would be credible. Plus, we need four in reserve because an 80 percent service rate is a good standard,” Teodoro explained.
He informed lawmakers that bidders must submit a proposed financing package that allows for payment to be spread out.
However, the defense chief noted that the General Appropriations Act (GAA) budget alone would not be sufficient to fund military modernization projects.
“Until we find those kinds of creative financing solutions, we have to work within the confines of the revised AFP modernization program,” Teodoro added.
(ai/mnm)
By Junex Doronio
MANILA — Mincing no words, Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. on Tuesday (27 Aug 2024) described China as the biggest disruptor of international peace in the Southeast Asian region.
Despite the harassment of China, Teodoro declared that the Philippines is serious about protecting its sovereignty.
“China… is the biggest disruptor of international peace in the ASEAN region,” Gilberto Teodoro told a conference of the US Indo-Pacific Command in Manila, referring to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
Teodoro made the statement on the heels of a series of confrontations between Philippine and Chinese vessels in the West Philippine Sea (WPS).
He urged partner nations to call out China’s “illegal actions” in the WPS.
On Sunday (25 August 2024), Chinese vessels blocked, rammed, and fired water cannons against a Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) vessel while doing a resupply mission to Filipino fishermen in Escoda Shoal.
Rear Admiral Andrew M. Sugimoto, deputy commander of the United States Coast Guard Pacific Area, expressed alarm over the incident.
“It just doesn’t happen! Nor do we go around and taking water cannons trying to flood out vessels, that is not what we call safe and professional operations,” Sugimoto said.
The US Coast Guard strongly assailed China’s blatant bullying, emphasizing the importance of adhering to maritime rules and international law.
“We stand with the Philippines and will continue working with them. When Article 4 [of the PH-US Mutual Defense Treaty] is invoked, we will stand with the Philippine Coast Guard and everybody else that is a part of this treaty,” Sugimoto stressed.
It can be noted that China rejected a 2016 ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in the Hague that found Beijing’s expansive claims over the South China Sea had no basis under international law.
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By Junex Doronio
MANILA — Amid the continuing tensions in the West Philippine Sea, Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro on Tuesday (16 July 2024) said there is a need to continuously conduct the Rotation and Resupply (RORE) mission to BRP Sierra Madre which was deliberately grounded at the Ayungin Shoal since 1999 as a symbol of the country’s sovereignty.
“Right now, we are going to do the RORE as routinely as possible but we will wait for the National Maritime Council to give us the appropriate guidance, in terms of timing, and the DFA and the NMC,” Teodoro quipped.
However, there is still no date for the next RORE mission.
Teodoro said he believes the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) is well aware of what to do next amid continuing tensions in the West Philippine Sea.
(el Amigo/mnm)
By Junex Doronio
MANILA — Aside from the harassments of Chinese vessels in the West Philippine Sea (WPS), Department of National Defense (DND) Secretary Gilberto”Gibo” Teodoro Jr. on Wednesday (12 June 2024) said criminal syndicates that pose as legitimate operators of Philippine Offshore Gaming Operation (POGO) which have mushroomed during the previous Duterte administration should be stopped.
“[W]e should stop these syndicated criminal activities operating out of our base, which weaken our financial standing, our country ratings, [and] corrupt our society,” Teodoro said in a statement.
The defense chief’s statement came on the heels of the discovery of alleged Chinese military uniforms at a POGO hub in Porac town in Pampanga, where a recent raid was made by authorities.
Camouflage uniforms with buttons bearing the “P.L.A” initials were unearthed from the Lucky South 99 compound in Porac.
P.L.A. was believed to be the acronym of China’s People’s Liberation Army.
Security expert Chester Cabalza likened the POGOs to a “Trojan horse” that could be used by China to stage a “surprise attack” against vital military installations.
“Now, I do not characterize these establishments as POGOs. These are not POGOs. POGOs, traditionally, are business processing outsourcing,” Teodoro stressed.
It can be recalled that in 2019, former Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana expressed alarm about the location of casino and POGO sites near vital military installations.
Lorenzana had expressed apprehension that the Chinese workers in Pogo facilities can shift their operations to spying.
He then proposed that the government should designate a Pogo camp “far from military camps.”
(el Amigo/mnm)
By Junex Doronio
MANILA — Stressing the need to intensify price and supply monitoring efforts in markets to protect consumers from profiteering as the country prepares for the La Niña phenomenon when El Niño exits, Defense Secretary Gilberto “Gibo” Teodoro Jr. has warned that authorities will go after hoarders and manipulators preying on consumers.
Teodoro, the chairperson of the government’s Task Force El Niño, said curbing price manipulation and holding hoarders accountable will be among the priorities in the government’s response to La Niña, which is seen to start developing in June.
“Access to affordable basic commodities such as rice is crucial to millions of Filipino consumers. Any sudden fluctuation in the price of rice resonates [in] the daily lives of Filipinos,” Teodoro said in a statement.
It can be recalled that during the presidential task force’s meeting at Camp Aguinaldo earlier this month, Teodoro said the Department of National Defense (DND) is ready to provide support to concerned government agencies in the price monitoring of necessities and prime commodities.
“Whatever support is needed by the Department of Trade and Industry and the Department of Agriculture, rest assured we are here ready to assist them,” Teodoro vowed.
(el Amigo/MNM)
By Junex Doronio
MANILA — For what they deem as a violation of some laws, the National Security Council (NSC) on Friday (10 May 2024) expressed support for Department of National Defense (DND) Secretary Gilbert “Gibo” Teodoro’s call to expel Chinese embassy personnel responsible in recording the alleged conversation of the supposed “new model” deal over Ayungin Shoal.
National Security Adviser Eduardo Año said he believes that those behind the recording committed serious breaches of diplomatic protocols and conventions and violated the Anti-Wire Tapping Act.
“Those individuals in the Chinese Embassy responsible for violating Philippine laws and the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations and those responsible for these malign influence and interference operations must be removed from the country immediately,” Año said in a statement.
Teodoro on Wednesday (8 May 2024) said those responsible for recording the alleged conversation should be expelled from the Philippines as this can be considered a violation of the wiretapping law.
“Ito ay iiwanan namin sa DFA na alamin ang katotohanan kung ano talaga ang nangyari at kung ito talaga ay nangyari dahil ito ay gawain di umano ng Chinese embassy mismo na paglabag sa batas ng Republika ng Pilipinas,” the defense chief said.
Año also called out the Chinese Embassy in Manila for the alleged dissemination of disinformation, misinformation, and malinformation, which he said, “should not be allowed to pass unsanctioned or without serious penalty.”
(el Amigo/MNM)
By Junex Doronio
MANILA — Exasperated by the latest antic of China, Defense Secretary Gilberto “Gibo” Teodoro Jr. on Sunday (05 May 2024) called the alleged “new model” a “devious machination of China.”
Teodoro bluntly told Beijing: “This charade must stop.”
This developed as the Department of National Defense (DND) denied an alleged “new model” that China claims it reached with the Philippines to ease tensions in Ayungin Shoal in the West Philippine Sea.
“I reiterate that I have disallowed any contact between the DND and the Chinese Embassy since the courtesy call of Ambassador Huang Xilian, a few days after I assumed office in July of last year,” Teodoro said in a statement.
On Saturday (4 May 2024), an unnamed spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in Manila claimed in a statement that Beijing and Manila, through the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Western Command, allegedly agreed on the new model “early this year” supposedly to diffuse tensions in Ayungin Shoal.
The statement further claimed that the “new model” was “approved by all key officials in the Philippine chain of command, including the Secretary of National Defense and the National Security Adviser.
But Teodoro strongly denied the Chinese Embassy’s claims.
“I am issuing this statement to generate awareness on this clear attempt by China to advance another falsehood to divide our people and distract us from their unlawful presence and actions in our EEZ (exclusive economic zone),” Teodoro said.
“We advise our citizens, the media, and the international community to beware of China’s methods of manipulation, interference, and malign influence in furthering its interests,” he added.
(el Amigo/MNM)
By Junex Doronio
MANILA — As President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has declared that the Philippines would only invoke the Mutual Defense Treaty with the United States in the event a Filipino soldier died in the West Philippine Sea (WPS), Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. has pronounced that the MDT should not be regarded as a tool to incite fear among countries.
The country’s defense chief issued the remarks on Friday (3 May 2024) in a press conference he attended in Hawaii alongside fellow Defense chiefs Lloyd Austin of the United States, Minoru Kihara of Japan, and Richard Marles of Australia.
Teodoro said he would not speculate on the conditions when the MDT might be invoked, pointing out that it would be a “political decision …principally by the Philippine government.”
“It would be counterproductive to delve into hypotheticals. As Defense Secretary, I would like to steer away from the discussion on [which] occasions that the MDT may be invoked when our jobs… is to make sure that through capability building, deterrence, there are no situations when MDT could arise,” he quipped.
Meanwhile, Austin said the MDT is not subject to hypothetical scenarios.
However, the US defense chief commented that the damage to Philippine vessels and injuries to Filipino crew members is “irresponsible behavior.”
“Filipino crew members are put in danger, sailors have been injured…and property damage. That is irresponsible behavior, he noted.
“It disregards international law. I would not get into any hypotheticals on what could happen and how it could happen. What I could say is that you heard me say, you heard what the President [Joe Biden] said a number of times: that our commitment to the treaty (MDT) is ironclad and we stand with the Philippines,” Austin assured.
(el Amigo/MNM)
By Junex Doronio
MANILA — Taking note of the so-called “gentleman’s agreement” between former President Rodrigo Roa Duterte and China, Department of National Defense (DND) Secretary Gilberto “Gibo” Teodoro, Jr. on Tuesday (2 April 2024) urged Filipinos to “not lose sight” of China’s illegal activities in the West Philippine Sea.
This developed as National Security Adviser (NSA) Eduardo Año and his US counterpart Jake Sullivan reaffirmed the alliance between the two countries following the recent incidents of harassment by China’s forces within the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of the Philippines.
“Let us not fall into the trap set by Chinese propaganda of refocusing the debate on a so-called promise while deflecting attention away from China’s government, thereby freeing and allowing them to continue with their illegal activities in our EEZ,” Teodoro stressed.
To recall, former Palace spokesman Harry Roque earlier claimed that then-President Duterte and Chinese President Xi Jinping struck what he called a “gentleman’s agreement” to maintain the status quo in Ayungin Shoal where the BRP Sierra Madre, a rusting World War Two ship, is grounded and has become a symbol of the country’s sovereignty over the area.
But Roque clarified that FPRRD made no specific “agreement” on Ayungin Shoal.
He said that the deal made with China was to “respect the status quo” in the entire West Philippine Sea.
However, Duterte’s presidential adviser Salvador Panelo claimed in an interview over SMNI on Monday (01 April 2024) that the ex-president “did not enter” any gentleman’s agreement.
“While we realize that accountability is important in the issue of whether or not a so-called ‘gentleman’s agreement’ was forged with China regarding the BRP Sierra Madre and Ayungin Shoal, we Filipinos must not lose sight of the fact that the main threat to our rights in the WPS is the Chinese Government’s illegal activities,” the defense chief stood firm in a statement.
Ayungin Shoal is called Ren’ai Jiao by China.
(el Amigo/MNM)
By Junex Doronio
MANILA — Aware of the formidable military might of China, Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro has underscored the importance of the Philippines’ relationship with its old ally United States as tensions in the West Philippine Sea persists.
This came on the heels of what appeared to be China’s “calculated show of force when Chinese ships staged a rare “invasion” of Ayungin or Second Thomas Shoal in the WPS.
Citing satellite images by Planet Labs, Ray Powell, SeaLight director at the Gordian Knot Center for National Security Innovation, revealed that on Monday, December 11, as many as 11 Chinese maritime militia vessels were observed in the Ayungin Shoal.
“This highly unusual invasion of the shoal’s interior appears to have been a calculated show of force by Beijing,” Powell wrote in an analysis on the SeaLight website on Thursday, December 14.
On Friday, December 15, Teodoro said he believes Beijing is “converting the South China Sea into a lake of China” by strategically deploying its coast guard, not its military vessels, in the disputed waterway.
To recall, China has long been insisting that it owns virtually the whole of the South China Sea, including the WPS.
It also does not recognize the 2016 arbitral award by a UN-backed court invalidating its 9-dash nine claim.
“[US support] translates to several things, more importantly our concrete iterations of helping us in our capability upgrades so we have more robust defense system to be able to enforce our territorial jurisdiction and sovereignty,” Teodoro stressed.
(ai/mnm)
By Liezelle Soriano
IPINAGTANGGOL ni Defense Secretary Gilberto “Gibo” Teodoro ang hinihiling na P150 milyong confidential funds ng Department of Education.
Para sa 2024, iminungkahi ng DepEd ang nasabing confidential funds kaugnay ng seguridad ng mga estudyante.
Subalit tinutulan ito ng mga mambabatas at sinabing dapat ipaubaya ang surveillance activities sa intelligence gathering agencies ng pamahalaan.
“The youth are the most impressionable targets for potential influencing,” sabi ni Teodoro sa panayam sa ANC nang tanungin kung sang-ayon siya sa confidential funds ng DepEd.
“I mean they would be the most vulnerable targets for exploitation by malefactors or those who wish ill against this country.”
Ngunit ipinunto ni Teodoro na ang mga ahensiya na humihirit ng confidential funds ay dapat bigyang-katwiran ang kanilang kahilingan.