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DND chief: PH 'reshaping' defense ecosystem vs. emerging threats

Philippine News Agency

By Priam Nepomuceno
October 24, 2025, 9:21 am

MANILA -- The Philippines is reshaping its defense to make it more capable and resilient against modern threats, Department of National Defense (DND) Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. said on Thursday.

"The President (Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.) has instructed us to be unyielding and to reshape our defense ecosystem as quickly as possible into a multi-threat, multi-domain system," Teodoro said in his speech before members of the European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines in Makati City.

He also pushed for greater transparency, trust, and shared growth in defense and industrial development with the organization.

The Philippines is "at the spearhead" of current threats to the international order, he said, citing China's latest illegal actions in the West Philippine Sea.

To achieve this, the DND is pursuing two key thrusts: building internal defense resilience and expanding strategic engagements with like-minded nations, he added.

He cited as an example of this strategy the advanced talks for the Visiting Forces Agreements with France and the United Kingdom, along with a similar arrangement with Canada.

"The more convergence of like-minded countries at the spear's tip, the better," Teodoro said.

"We must resist and deter any attempt to change the international order to the detriment of our people and future generations."

He also underscored the need to reform the country's defense acquisition and funding systems, noting that defense spending has long been "miserably low."

The DND, he said, would 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 is available," he said, adding that defense self-reliance will depend on reliable, diversified, and secure supply chains aligned with the Philippines' national interests. (PNA)