ILOILO City – Iloilo 5th District’s Rep. Raul “Boboy” Tupas welcomed the appointment of Gilbert “Gibo” Teodoro as new secretary of the Department of National Defense (DND).
Tupas, who chairs the Committee on National Defense and Security at the House of Representatives, commended President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. for naming Teodoro to lead the national security team of his administration.
“With Sec. Gibo’s extensive experience on leadership and legislation and expertise on legal and administrative aspects, I am confident that the defense and security of our nation are in good hands,” he said.
Senior Undersecretary Carlito Galvez Jr. should also be commended for providing the necessary leadership and steering DND to the right direction during his stint as officer-in-charge, added Tupas.
He added that with DND finally has a full-fledged secretary is something to be elated for.
He cited that given the looming new chapter of the Mutual Defense Treaty and overall bilateral relationship between the Philippines and the United States, Teodoro as alter ego of the President has the unique and crucial responsibility of literally crafting that new chapter and key aspects of the emerging history of defense cooperation of the Philippines even with other Asian countries.
He also took note of other matters such as reforming the pension system for military and uniformed personnel which must be tackled head on in the coming months to assure not only the retiring officers and enlisted personnel but as well as the retirees of their and their families’ future.
Tupas added that another crucial issue awaiting the new secretary is the implementation of Republic Act 11939 or the Act Strengthening Professionalism and Promoting the Continuity of Policies and Modernization Initiatives in the Armed Forces of the Philippines which has been recently signed into law./PN
