Wants more funds for military equipment
NEW Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr yesterday trained his sights on the capability upgrade of the Armed Forces, vowing to secure more funds to procure more equipment to defend the country.
Teodoro, who assumed his post yesterday afternoon, said the “first and foremost” job of a defense secretary is to build a “credible deterrent” posture.
“Our credible deterrent is our business and nobody else’s business and whether we partner with country X or Y in order to build up our own force strength is a question for the Philippines,” he said in an interview with ANC.
“Just like we do not question the buildup — of not even defensive capabilities but offensive capabilities — of other countries, they should not question ours and they should not tie up our buildup of our capabilities to any question of whether it’s Taiwan or whatnot.”
Teodoro did not name China which has criticized the addition of five Philippine sites which can be accessed by American troops, under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) signed by the US and the Philippines in 2014.
China has said the US intends to take advantage of the EDCA sites, now totaling nine, to interfere with the situation across the Taiwan Strait to serve its geopolitical goals. China considers Taiwan as its own.
Defense and military officials have said the EDCA sites will be improved by the US armed forces to better respond to various concerns, including external threats.
“The job of the Department of National Defense really is to build up its capabilities in order to be ready, as much as possible, to foresee, predict and to react to defend the Philippines from any geopolitical happening,” said Teodoro.
In a press briefing at Camp Aguinaldo, Teodoro said the DND will ask for “more funds” for the ongoing modernization program for the Armed Forces, which is now on the third “horizon” or phase, and make sure the military will get the best equipment.
“In the modernization, the AFP has set the horizons. What we will do is to make sure that they get the best at the most affordable cost with the most sustainability as possible,” he said.
Teodoro said the defense spending of a “growing country” should be about 2% to 3% of its gross domestic product.
“That is an ideal number and we’ll try to get as much as we can. Right now, the how much is something I have to learn yet after due consultation with everyone here (at the DND),” he said.
JOINT PATROLS
Teodoro said there is nothing wrong with having joint patrols with the United States.
Defense officials of the two countries have had discussions to conduct joint patrols in the West Philippine Sea in the South China amid continuing Chinese aggression in the area.
“If we are to respect the law of the sea, there should be no problem in holding joint patrols in internationally-recognized sea lines of communication. That should be no problem and it’s no provocation whatsoever,” said Teodoro.
“On the basis of international law where UNCLOS (United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea) is the law of the sea, there should be no problem with it,” he added.
Teodoro also said cooperation with ally countries, including the US, “will continue and perhaps, this will enhanced.”
He said President Marcos’ instruction is “to make very sure” that the agreements and cooperation “are purely for defensive purposes” and these will not result “in any misinterpretation.”
PENSION, PEACE TALKS
Teodoro said President Marcos Jr’s first marching order was for him to help in crafting a self-sustaining pension system for the Armed Forces personnel.
“A lot of work has been done towards that end and it’s a matter of continuing the work done,” said Teodoro as he commended his predecessor, DND officer-in-charge Senior Undersecretary Carlito Galvez Jr for the initial work done with the finance department.
Teodoro said he is against resuming peace talks with the communist movement. Some quarters have asked the Marcos government to resume the talks, which former President Duterte ended in 2017.
“I have always been consistent in the position that rebels are welcome to go back to the fold of government, that’s why the OPAPRU (Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity) is there in order to help them, rehabilitate them and give them a new life,” he said.
“But to enter into peace talks, I have always been against that. Why will we enter into peace talks when they can go back and run for public office,” added Teodoro.
COMMITMENT
Teodoro said he turned down an offer of then-President Duterte to be his defense secretary in 2016 because of his commitment to the private sector.
He said he had just been appointed to lead a huge project in the private sector when Duterte made the offer.
“I would have not said no, especially to President Duterte who I admire and is a friend. However, I had just been appointed to lead a big project and I had just proven my credentials once again to the private sector,” he said.
Teodoro served as defense secretary from 2007 to 2009 during the administration of President Arroyo. His appointment to the defense portfolio under the Marcos Jr government was announced by the Palace on Monday.
“Having come from public sector I was in no position to go back to government and divest once again. I owed it to my family, and my commitment to the projects that I undertook required the sacrifice,” said Teodoro.
With Teodoro turning down the offer, Duterte gave the top defense post to retired Army general Delfin Lorenzana who led the defense department during the entire six-year Duterte administration.
“Anyway, Del Lorenzana took over and did a good job,” said Teodoro. Lorenzana is now the chairman of the Bases Conversion and Development Authority.
