THE RIGHT MAN FOR THE JOB

“It will take time, but the longer we wait, the more expensive and the harder it will get.” Thus says Secretary Gilberto C. Teodoro when asked about what needs to be done in order to make the Department of National Defense (DND) up to par with present challenges.

Running the department means “a lot of thinking, strategizing, project management, and resource management, all of which entail essential expenditure for the State,” Teodoro says. “If there is no strong defense establishment or capability, we might as well be a dependency of any other country just to ensure that we are stable. But that is not the case. And I will not be proud to be a Filipino if that were the case. And so that we can stand proud as Filipinos, we really need to have a strong national defense establishment so we can stand up to anybody.”

Teodoro knows whereof he speaks. He holds the distinction of being one of the country’s youngest secretaries of national defense, having been first appointed to the position at 43 years old. His two-year term as President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s defense chief, lasting from September 2007to September 2009, was marked by a high regard for human rights, modernization, and institutionalization of reforms, among others. He also made sure that the department’s affairs were transparent, took a holistic approach to disaster risk management, and took a whole-of-government strategy in dealing with threats to internal security.

President Rodrigo R. Duterte tried to bring Teodoro back into the department, but failed to lure the latter out of the public sector. Describing Teodoro as a talented and brilliant individual who carries himself really well, Duterte first asked him to be defense chief in May 2016 as he formed his Cabinet, and again more than a year later.

BACK AT THE HELM

A year after throwing his hat into the political arena again in 2022, Teodoro was offered by President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. to head the DND. Free from private sector commitments that had previously kept him from rejoining government, he accepted the challenge. “I felt it my duty to accept the offer,” he shares.

Teodoro is quick to temper expectations, however. “I have to earn the people’s trust and confidence once again,” he says. “I am still new to this job. I have to prove my worth.”

Asked about his initial assessment as he took over the department, Teodoro gives a clear answer. “The most significant

change is that now there is relative internal stability and regard to security, but there is external instability. The world is getting more volatile, unpredictable. That is what we have to deal with principally.”

A LIFE OF PUBLIC SERVICE

Teodoro joined public service at an early age, serving as Kabataang Barangay provincial president for Tarlac from 1980 to 1986. He later on became a member of the Tarlac provincial board.

In 1998, then 34-year-old Teodoro became a member of Congress, serving the first of three

terms as congressman of the 1st District of Tarlac. He quickly entered the national consciousness with his intelligence and leadership abilities. He was also prolific with regard to filing bills, having authored more than 100 bills from 1998 to 2006. He was part of the “Bright Boys,” a group of seven smart first- term congressmen who were seen as having a bright future in Congress.

The University of the Philippines and Harvard alumnus soon became a household name, known for his no-nonsense style of leadership. After his first stint as defense secretary, Teodoro ran for the presidency in the 2010 general elections.

It is not surprising that Teodoro joined public service at a young age and continues to serve the country after more than four decades. He comes from the Cojuanco clan, one of the most successful and enduring political clans in the country.

“My mother and my father were in public service,” Teodoro replies when asked who inspired him to join public service.His father, Gilberto Teodoro, Sr., was the longest-serving Social Security System (SSS) administrator, occupying the position from 1966 to 1986. The elder Teodoro is remembered for launching various loan and assistance programs which greatly benefitted SSS members. He was also responsible for decentralizing the agency’s operations, making it easier for members to transact business. His mother, meanwhile, was a delegate to the 1971 Constitutional Convention (ConCon), and member of the Batasang Pambansa.

Teodoro’s uncle, the late businessman and ambassador Eduardo “Danding” Cojuangco, also played a major role in the defense chief’s political life. “When I first ran for Congress, it was in part because of my uncle’s urging,” he recalls. “I even became the head of the political party which he founded, the Nationalist People’s Coalition.”

The Philippine Air Force reservist also points to the political situation during the 1970s as a major factor that led him to a life of public service. “There was a raging insurgency. And so there was a different ‘government’ at night, aside from the [lawful] government during daytime,” he recalls.

As a young boy growing up in Tarlac, Teodoro had been exposed to the activities of the Hukbong Mapagpalaya ng Bayan (HMB). ”Our side of the family was against the HMB. And I grew up with a lot of military people in our backyard basically,” he shares.

An incident that happened in September 1972 also had a lasting effect on Teodoro. He recalls the rampant street demonstrations near Manila Hotel, where he would fetch his mother from sessions of the 1971 ConCon. When the proceedings were transferred to Quezon City Hall, the new venue was bombed. “That made an impression on me growing up,” he shares.

MANAGEMENT PRINCIPLES

Teodoro brings with him not only a wealth of experience in the public sector but also time-tested management principles from his decade-long stint as executive of various private companies. He points to two management principles he has relied on while in the private sector that continue to guide him. First, he believes that the situation defines the structure, staffing and resources that an organization needs. “Our current structure [at the DND] is not able to address the situation that we face today. Our current staffing and resources do not address what we need to do,” he points out.

“In the private sector, it is very easy to reshape your organization, that is why we were able to survive the pandemic with risk, with debt. Here, there is no risk, there is no debt, although the debt is to the taxpayer. At the end of the day, if we spend more today, we save more tomorrow. If we have a more agile and efficient structure and are not limited by archaic rules and regulations which are not apropos to the times anymore, then we could address the issues at hand. So it has to be a total transformation in leadership, cracking the whip from the beginning,” he stresses.

The Cabinet member also puts a premium on ensuring the sustainability of government programs. “That is very important,” he says. “A lot of government projects we see have probably not had as much sustainability inputs in the planning, that’s why these have changed from one administration to another,” he shares.

BRINGING THE DND UP TO PAR

“This department has been very much overlooked and understaffed,” Teodoro laments as he discusses the need to introduce changes that will enable the DND to respond to various threats to national security.

One of these is the need for a sufficient budget for the department. He nixes a one-time budget increase, stressing that there is a need to sustain the budget through the years. “You cannot have a one-time one-year increase in the budget. It should be sustained year on year on year. If you buy equipment X at Php10, you will need Php3-Php5 per year add- on to your budget to make equipment X work. Plus you have to integrate the capabilities of equipment X with equipment Y and equipment Z,” he explains.

“Secondly, we have to invest in our people,” he continues. “We need people who are adept at technology, have the necessary skills, and are equipped with knowledge. Thirdly, you need a flexible, agile organizational structure in the DND and its attached agencies. The structure is wooden, understaffed, meant to ward off traditional and conventional invasion, which is not the name of the game nowadays.”

The defense chief underscores the need to reorganize and strengthen the DND so that it could manage the requirements of its attached agencies. “I think the main focus, the axisof efficient operations of all the attached agencies is the department proper where strategic direction, policy approval, recommendations to the president, policy agreements between and among Cabinet members, DND and foreign defense partners, are concluded.”

BEYOND DEFENSE FROM EXTERNAL THREATS

Aside from ensuring safety from foreign forces that may pose a threat to the country, the DND is also involved in emergency response, disaster management, and cybersecurity.

With regard to disaster risk reduction, Teodoro points to the need to revisit the vision to make the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC )to serve as the Philippines’ version of the United States’ (US) Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA),which plays a major role before disasters by raising risk awareness and preparing comprehensive plans; during disasters by managing resources and coordinating government response; and after disasters by coordinating recovery efforts, providing resources, and taking insights in consideration for future action.

“The NDRRMC was thought of to be the fore runner of a sort of FEMA. I think we have to revisit that. We have to give back to the NDRRMC the function of coordinating between and among agencies for coordinated planning, response, and rehabilitation,” the secretary stresses. “It can be a first responder, provide pre-needs disaster assessment, rapid assessment post-disaster, and interventional support. However, we have to address again the need to establish a 24/7 interagency operations center down to the regional level, where we actually coordinate with the local government units, which is the most important coordination point. So our regional directors have to take proactive measures to re-engage their corresponding regional directors of the other national government agencies, law enforcement agencies and other first responders to put coordination back at the forefront of what they do.”

Teodoro is confident that the above directive will not be hard to implement, as the concerned departments’ leaders have already laid down a solid foundation. “We have a very, very solid working relationship at the Cabinet level and through the undersecretary and assistant secretary levels. However, this has to cascade down to the regional level,” he says.

“With regard to cyber security concerns, we are undertaking serious initiatives to harden our cyber architecture and our information technology needs. We are still in the early stages of partial digitization, given the fact that our budget is limited. It is incumbent upon us to design cyber architecture in the proper way from the ground up for interconnectivity, cyber security, siloing, and other related information technology issues,” Teodoro says. “So although we have a framework for our information technology infrastructure policies and procedures, we still need to go into the depth that private companies are in.”

The secretary, however, sees the situation in a good light. “That’s not a bad thing, though,” he says. “Actually, it also helps preserve our operational security.” With a pittance of the total national budget for digitalization going to the DND, the department will have to balance the need to make sure that sensitive data does not fall into the wrong hands, even as it embraces digitalization in order to render better service.

FACING EXTERNAL SECURITY THREATS

Teodoro points to a number of external security threats that the county is facing right now.

“The situation in the South China Sea as a whole, instability in the whole world, which affects supply chains around the world, causing vulnerabilities in regional security have to be dealt with seriously. Regional security is closely tied with global security and a ripple effect from a distant place to a region is not far-fetched. Secondly, there is really a need for—there is a race among— countries right now to beef up their capabilities in order to protect national interest. If we do not join that race, we lose by default,” he explains.

“Given the volatile neighborhood that we have now, there is an urgent need to beef up our defense capability. And such capability is directly related to the ability of the State to finance it. These have no visible financial return but have a truly valuable long-term social, economic, and political benefits to our people because one of the things that anybody looks for when you want to place your money in your country is whether it is politically stable; secondly, it can enforce laws; third, it is not a political risk from any other big country. The essence of the synergistic relationship between national defense and resources is really intertwined. We cannot separate one from the other. And you cannot shortcut your national defense. Actually it’s a building block system and the sooner you start, the less you spend,” Teodoro stresses.

With China’s continued posturing, the secretary agrees that our continued partnership with the United States and other traditional allies is justified. “I think it is very important. Because as we saw during the water cannoning incident, a lot of likeminded nations came out in support of the Philippine position in no uncertain terms. This is the kind of support that we need from the international community. Our claims in the West Philippine Sea and in all other territories are for the world community to decide, and for us to enforce,” he stresses. “We have that voice resonating throughout the world rather than contained within this country and so that is good. We have to share with the world a narrative that is correct and not drown ourselves in the propaganda dished out by a country whose expansionist interests are hostile to us.”

Just recently, the secretary met with US Ambassador to the Philippines MaryKay Carlson to discuss “areas of mutual concern and ways to further enhance the two countries’ enduring alliance,” even as China continued to send ships near Scarborough Shoal and the Spratlys. Among the points discussed was the possibility of doing joint maritime patrols.

ALL-OUT SUPPORT

With his background and clear plans for the department, Teodoro is enjoying the support and confidence not only of the president but also of Congressional and executive leaders and the populace.

Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri hailed his appointment and eventual swift confirmation by the Commission on Appointments. “His impressive academic and military records, diplomacy and integrity, as well as unquestionable dedication in protecting the interests of the Filipino people, make him more than qualified once again to take over the position of Secretary of National Defense,” he said.

“I would like to say that his appointment came at a very opportune time, not only in addressing the issues of internal security threats, but also, above all, the external threats with the heightening tensions in the West Philippine Sea,” Zubiri added.

Meanwhile, National Security Adviser Eduardo Año expressed full confidence in Teodoro’s ability to use his extensive experience in strengthening the Philippine position in the WPS and in dealing with internal threats.

Most of all, Teodoro enjoys the support of Filipinos who, despite his extended absence from the public scene, have remained confident in his “Galing at Talino” (Skills and Intellect) to take on a most important government position.Less than a year into his stint as defense chief, Teodoro, through his words and actions, has proven that indeed, he is the right man for the job.