Gilberto Teodoro | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2023 | |
| 23rdSecretary of National Defense | |
| Assumed office June 5, 2023 | |
| President | Bongbong Marcos |
| Preceded by | Carlito Galvez Jr. (OIC) |
| In office August 3, 2007 – November 15, 2009 | |
| President | Gloria Macapagal Arroyo |
| Preceded by | Norberto Gonzales (OIC) |
| Succeeded by | Norberto Gonzales |
| Member of theHouse of Representatives fromTarlac's1st district | |
| In office June 30, 1998 – June 30, 2007 | |
| Preceded by | Peping Cojuangco |
| Succeeded by | Monica Prieto-Teodoro |
| Member of theTarlac Provincial Board from theKabataang Barangay | |
| In office 1980–1986 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Gilberto Eduardo Gerardo Cojuangco Teodoro Jr. (1964-06-14)June 14, 1964 (age 61) |
| Citizenship |
|
| Political party | PRP (since 2021) |
| Other political affiliations | Lakas (2009–2021) NPC (1998–2009) Independent (1980–1998) |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 1 |
| Residence(s) | Carabaoan,Mayantoc, Tarlac, Philippines |
| Alma mater | De La Salle University (BS) University of the Philippines Diliman (LL.B) Harvard University (LL.M) West Negros University (LL.D) |
| Occupation |
|
| Profession | Lawyer |
| Known for |
|
| Website | Official website |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  Philippines |
| Branch/service |  Philippine Air ForceReserve Command |
| Rank | Colonel |
Gilberto Eduardo Gerardo Cojuangco Teodoro Jr.PLH (born June 14, 1964), nicknamedGibo ([ɡɪˈboʔ]),[1] is a Filipino lawyer, politician, and business executive who has served as the 23rdsecretary of national defense under PresidentBongbong Marcos since 2023. He served in the same post from 2007 to 2009 under PresidentGloria Macapagal Arroyo. He was the nominee of Arroyo'sLakas–Kampi in the2010 presidential election, which he lost to his second cousin,Benigno Aquino III.
Teodoro studied commerce atDe La Salle University, and law at theUniversity of the Philippines, where he graduated top of his class and went on to top the 1989Bar exams. He then earned hisMaster of Laws degree fromHarvard Law School. He practiced law until he was elected asRepresentative ofTarlac's1st district, serving from 1998 to 2007.
Teodoro has been described as atechnocrat.[2][3] During his first stint as defense secretary, he was the chairman of the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) whenMega Manila was hit byTyphoon Ketsana (Ondoy).[4]
Teodoro finished elementary in 1977 and high school in 1981 atXavier School. He obtained his undergraduate degree incommerce major in Financial Institutions fromDe La Salle University in 1984. He studied law at theUniversity of the Philippines College of Law from 1985 to 1989, and finished at the top of his class. He was awarded the Dean's Medal for Academic Excellence. He topped the 1989 Philippine Bar Examinations with an 86.18% bar rating.[5]
In 1997, he obtained hisMaster of Laws degree fromHarvard Law School ofHarvard University inCambridge, Massachusetts, and he passed the State Bar of New York.[6] In 2009, he completed hisDoctor of Laws at what was thenWest Negros University in 2009.[7]
According to his classmates, Teodoro was "very intelligent", an unconventional nerd. They added that he is "very unassuming" and a "very cool" person. During his college days, he was not involved in campus politics, and was busy with his commitments outside school, including being a member of theSangguniang Kabataan (Youth Council) in Tarlac and attendingflight training.[8]
From 1989 to 1996, Teodoro was a lawyer at the EP Mendoza Law firm, owned byEstelito Mendoza.[9]
At the age of 16, in 1980, Teodoro was elected as the Kabataang Barangay (KB) President in Tarlac. He served at the position until 1986. He went on to leadCentral Luzon. He became a member of theTarlac Provincial Board when his mother was the Tarlac representative in the National Assembly.[10]
From 1998 to 2007, he was a House Representative for theFirst District ofTarlac province. He assumed the position of Assistant Majority Leader in the11th Congress and head of theNationalist People's Coalition House members. He was a member of the House contingent to the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council. Teodoro was a part of the "Bright Boys" clique. He authored 106 bills during his time.[9]
Following his three terms in office—the maximum number allowed by the constitution — he was succeeded by his wife,Monica Prieto-Teodoro.
Teodoro was appointedsecretary of national defense in August 2007 at the age of 43. He was the second youngest person to ever hold the position afterRamon Magsaysay, who assumed the position a day after he turned 43.
While serving as theSecretary of National Defense, Teodoro concurrently headed the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC), a temporary organization that supports the relief efforts being done by the local government in times of natural disasters. WhenTyphoon Ketsana hit the country, Teodoro immediately issued an appeal for international aid through theUnited Nations and organized relief operations in the affected areas given the limitations in resources and the scale of the disaster.[4] He mitigated the devastation wrought by the typhoon and prioritized the areas at risk of being wiped out.[11]
Under the law (PD 1566), the NDCC's role as a temporary orad hoc committee is very limiting because it places the budget and primary responsibility during natural disasters on the hands of local government officials. For this reason, Teodoro expressed the desire for bills that seek to replace PD 1566 with a permanent Disaster Risk Reduction Council (DRRC) that will be given the right powers and resources to correct the weaknesses of the current law.[4][12]
In March 2009, Teodoro announced his intention to run forPresident of the Philippines in the May 2010 election.[13] Months earlier, he quit his old partyNationalist People's Coalition (NPC) to join the merged administration partyLakas–Kampi and cast his name in the ruling party's contenders for the 2010 elections.
In September 2009, voting 42–5 through secret balloting, the executive committee of Lakas-Kampi selected Teodoro as their party's presidential nominee for the May 2010 elections, edging out the other nominee,MMDA ChairmanBayani Fernando. The announcement was made by Lakas–Kampi Secretary General Gabriel Claudio after a deliberation that lasted for approximately an hour.[14]
Teodoro's2010 campaign platform includes encouraging political growth in the provinces and improving healthcare and education. He stated that he would not interfere if Arroyo were to be charged at a later date.[15]
On November 20,Gloria Macapagal Arroyo resigned her post as Chairman of Lakas–Kampi–CMD and handed over the post to Teodoro.[16]
Teodoro's campaign slogan was "Galing at Talino" (capability andcompetence). According to him, public service does not only entail integrity, but ability and competence as well because people are looking for clear plans and not just mere promises and most of all positive campaigning. During the campaign, he shunned from mudslinging and encouraged other Presidentiables to do away with smear campaigning because it breeds disunity among Filipinos.[17]
On May 11, 2010, a day after the elections were held, Teodoro conceded defeat to the leading presidential candidate, SenatorNoynoy Aquino of the Liberal Party, who is his second cousin. During a press conference he held at the Lakas Kampi CMD national headquarters in Metro Manila, Teodoro wished Aquino well and announced his decision to return to private life to take care of his family.
Prior to the2016 presidential elections, Davao City MayorRodrigo Duterte advised SenatorMiriam Defensor Santiago to make Teodoro her running mate forvice president; in return, Duterte will support the tandem. However, Santiago chose SenatorBongbong Marcos as her running mate. Duterte then ran for the presidency and won. In May 2016, Duterte offered Teodoro to return to his post as Secretary of National Defense but said that he would consult his family first on his final decision as to whether he would accept it.[18] In early June 2016, he declined Duterte's offer.[19] He was yet again offered by Duterte for the defense post on August 23, 2016.[20]
In June 2021, Teodoro expressed interest in running for vice president and becoming the running mate ofSara Duterte, who was rumored to run for president in2022.[21] However, Duterte announced that she would instead continue her term asmayor of Davao City; she would later withdraw her reelection bid to instead run for vice president. On October 7, 2021, Teodoro, through a proxy, as he was in isolation after testing positive forCOVID-19 at that time, filed his certificate of candidacy forsenator underPeople's Reform Party for the2022 election.[22] He was named to theUniTeam senatorial slate. However, his bid was unsuccessful, placing 15th out of the 12 seats up for election.
On June 5, 2023, Teodoro was reappointed assecretary of national defense by PresidentBongbong Marcos, whom the former succeeded undersecretaryCarlito Galvez Jr. in the position (of which Galvez served as Defense Secretary in an officer-in-charge capacity since January 9, 2023).[23]
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As defense secretary, Teodoro Jr. took a strong stance against Chinese incursions into Philippine waters. He described China encroaching in Philippine waters as akin to acting like illegal occupants, or "squatters" in Philippine colloquial terms.[24]
In October 2023, Teodoro, in aPilipinas Ngayon briefing, called the Chinese narrative of the Philippines being a "U.S. puppet" as "very insulting".[25]
And I think this is really looking down on us and that really disgusts me, and sohinihimok ko po ating mga kababayan na talagang tumindig laban dito sa pag insulto ng China sa atin (I am urging our country to stand-up versus this insult of China against us)
— Gilbert Teodoro,Pilipinas Ngayon (October 2023)[25]
In September 2024, Teodoro extended the stay of the Typhon midrange capability (MRC) missile in the country to protect theSouth China Sea (West Philippine Sea).[26] In November 2024, U.S. Defense SecretaryLloyd Austin visited Manila and met with Teodoro. This was to review the bilateral cooperation between the Philippines and the United States.[27][28] China's foreign ministry spokespersonLin Jian reacted to this visit saying that no military agreement "should target any third party" and "should exacerbate regional tensions".[29] Teodoro was known for his heated exchange with Chinese diplomatMao Ning over the Taiwan issue in early 2024, accusing Mao of "gutter-level talk" and debasing the party she represents. This exchange signaled the Philippines' inability to balance its relations with China.[30][31]
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In response to China's accusations to the Philippines, Teodoro claimed that it was China causing tension in the South China Sea not the Philippines.[32]
In April 2014, Teodoro was elected as an independent director ofBDO Unibank.[33] In August 2015, he was named chairman of the Board of Sagittarius Mines Incorporated (SMI).[18] He is the chairman of the Board ofIndophil Resources Incorporated. He is an independent director of thePhilippine Geothermal Production Company, Inc. (PGPC), andAlphaland Corporation.
He wrote an op-ed piece entitled "The Philippines' Triumph: Right over Might" published onThe Diplomat in July 2016.[34]
He participated in the 150th Rizal Anniversary Conference on Nation and Culture and subtitled his "Thoughts on Philippine Culture from a Non-Culturati Person".[35] (published by the Solidaridad Publishing House in 2012.)
Teodoro is the only child of formerSocial Security System administratorGilberto Teodoro Sr. and formerBatasang Pambansa member Mercedes Cojuangco-Teodoro. He is the nephew ofDanding Cojuangco, chairman ofSan Miguel Corporation.[36]
Teodoro is a second cousin of former president,Benigno Aquino III, son of former PresidentCorazon Aquino and former SenatorNinoy Aquino. Teodoro's mother is a first cousin of Aquino's mother, former PresidentCorazon Aquino. Both families have always been on different sides of the political fence since the 1960s. During the administration of PresidentFerdinand Marcos, Teodoro's father served as Social Security System administrator, while Aquino's father, former senatorBenigno Aquino Jr., was a leading opposition leader.[37]
Teodoro is married toMonica Prieto, with whom he has a son, Jaime Gilberto.[38]
Teodoro previously possessedMaltese citizenship and aMaltese passport, which he obtained in 2016 but renounced prior to filing his candidacy for senator in October 2021. According to the Department of National Defense spokesperson, Assistant Secretary Arsenio Andolong, Teodoro had disclosed this information to theBureau of Immigration and theCommission on Elections ahead of the 2022 elections, as well as to theCommission on Appointments prior to his confirmation as Defense Secretary in July 2023. Legal experts consulted on the matter stated that if Teodoro indeed renounced his Maltese citizenship, the controversy over dual nationality is irrelevant, given thePhilippine constitutional prohibition on dual citizenship for public officials.[39][40]
Teodoro, who holds distinct memberships in theIntegrated Bar of the Philippines,UP Alumni Association,UP Law Alumni Association,Harvard Alumni Association, and theHarvard Law Alumni Association, is also a licensed commercial pilot with aLearjet 31 rating and a Colonel in thePhilippine Air Force Reserve.[citation needed]
"Truth and in fact, no country in the world, none, supports unequivocally their claim to the whole of South China Sea," Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro said as both nations have exchanged accusations over recent collisions in the waterway.
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Secretary of National Defense 2007–2009 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded byasOIC | Secretary of National Defense 2023–present | Incumbent |
| House of Representatives of the Philippines | ||
| Preceded by | Member of theHouse of Representatives fromTarlac's1st district 1998–2007 | Succeeded by |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Chair of Lakas Kampi CMD 2009–2010 | Succeeded byasActing Chair |
| Lakas Kampi CMD nominee forPresident of the Philippines 2010 | Most recent | |
| Order of precedence | ||
| Preceded byasSecretary of Labor and Employment | Order of Precedence of the Philippines asSecretary of National Defense | Succeeded byasSecretary of Health |
| Chief Commander (Punong Komandante) |
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| Grand Commander (Marangal na Komandante) | |
| Grand Officer (Marangal na Pinuno) | |
| Commander (Komandante) | |
| Officer (Pinuno) | |
| Legionnaire (Lehiyonaryo) | |
