Press Releases

Article by: Rex Anthony Naval - BusinessMirror

Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. has called for a stronger collaboration with the  European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines (ECCP) to promote transparency, trust, and shared growth in defense and industrial development.

Speaking before the ECCP in Makati City, Teodoro also said the Philippines is “at the spearhead” of current threats to the international order and cited China’s latest illegal actions in the West Philippine Sea.

“The President has instructed us to be unyielding and to reshape our defense ecosystem as quickly as possible into a multi-threat, multi-domain system,” he said.

With this in mind, Teodoro said the DND is pursuing two key thrusts: building internal defense resilience and expanding strategic engagements with like-minded nations.

He cited as example the Philippines’  advanced talks for Visiting Forces Agreements with France and the United Kingdom.

Teodoro, added, that the country is pursuing a similar arrangement with Canada.

“The more convergence of like-minded countries at the spear’s tip, the better,” he added.

“We must resist and deter any attempt to change the international order to the detriment of our people and future generations,” the DND chief pointed out.

Teodoro also underscored the need to reform the country’s defense acquisition and funding systems, noting that defense spending has long been “miserably low.”

He said the DND will prioritize the development of strategic bases and adopt government-to-government arrangements for defense procurements and joint industrial production.

“We will focus on what we truly need, not just what’s available,” he said, adding that defense self-reliance will depend on reliable, diversified, and secure supply chains aligned with the Philippines’ national interests.

Teodoro likewise expressed the DND’s readiness to engage the ECCP in a structured partnership rooted in transparency and trust.

“For many a times, even with partner government agencies, we have always been the whipping boy. And that ended when Ferdinand Marcos took office and when he appointed me as the Defense Secretary,” Teodoro said.

“And I think that is the obligation I owe to the Filipino people, and that is the standing order of the President,” he added.