Jamaine Punzalan

The Commission on Appointments confirms the selection of Gilberto "Gibo" Teodoro Jr. as secretary of the Department of National Defense in Pasay City on September 13, 2023. Mark Demayo, ABS-CBN News

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CA confirms Teodoro Appointment

Michael Delizo

ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/175245944733020230913-teodoro-gibo-dnd-confirmation-MD-5.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro no longer has a Maltese passport, his agency said on Monday, rejecting allegations in a media report.</span></span></span></div><p>MANILA — The Department of National Defense (DND) on Monday rejected a newspaper report on the alleged Maltese passport of Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr., questioning the story’s timing and motive.</p><p>A Manila Times report had alleged that Teodoro was issued a passport from Malta with a 10-year validity in 2016, which supposedly meant he was a dual citizen of the Philippines and the European country. </p><p>Teodoro &quot;surrendered and renounced&quot; the foreign passport  in 2021 before filing his certificate of candidacy for senator for the <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/video/news/01/17/22/gibo-teodoro-opposes-icc-probe-in-ph">2022 elections</a>, DND spokesperson Arsenio Andolong said. </p><p>He added that Teodoro had disclosed the passport&#x27;s existence to the Bureau of Immigration and the Commission on Elections before the 2022 polls and the Commission on Appointments prior to the confirmation of his appointment as defense secretary.</p><p>“The motive of this rumor is clear and known to Sec. Teodoro. The timing of the article adds to this motive,” Andolong said.</p><p>Teodoro was appointed by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. as defense chief in 2023. He previously held the same post from 2007 to 2009 under the administration of former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/5/29/marcos-retains-dilg-doj-dnd-chiefs-1523">Marcos retains DILG, DOJ, DND chiefs</a></div><p>Under Philippine law, dual citizenship is prohibited for public officials.</p><p>The DND did not clarify how Teodoro acquired the Maltese passport, nor did it address the newspaper report suggesting that he could have obtained it through Malta’s controversial citizenship-by-investment program.</p><div><strong></strong><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/5/31/teodoro-china-needs-to-overcome-deficit-of-trust-0223">Teodoro: China needs to overcome &#x27;deficit of trust&#x27;</a></div><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/public-service/2025/5/25/teodoro-on-rape-case-vs-air-force-major-general-we-will-not-coddle-anyone-1837">Teodoro on rape case vs Air Force major general: &#x27;We will not coddle anyone’</a></div><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/7/4/-nuclear-weapon-free-asean-teodoro-says-china-must-denuclearize-first-1758">&#x27;Nuclear weapon-free&#x27; ASEAN? Teodoro says China must denuclearize first</a></div><p>The report was slammed by the Association of Reservists and Reservist Administrators of the Philippines (ARRAPI), with its president, LTC Vladimir Mata, saying the claims were &quot;baseless and politically motivated.&quot;</p><p>ARRAPI Chairman LTC Michael Romero also questioned the timing of the report. &quot;These attacks appear just as Secretary Teodoro is pushing forward key reforms to modernize the AFP and strengthen our territorial defense,&quot; he said in a statement.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO:</strong><br/><strong></strong></div><div><iframe width="853" height="480" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/6T6b3xIkta4" title="Face to face at security summit, Teodoro calls out Chinese delegate&#x27;s &#x27;propaganda&#x27;  | ABS-CBN News" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div>

<p>Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro no longer has a Maltese passport, his agency said on Monday, rejecting allegations in a media report.</p>

Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro no longer has a Maltese passport, his agency said on Monday, rejecting allegations in a media report.

Defense chief Teodoro ‘surrendered, renounced’ Maltese passport in 2021

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Defense chief Teodoro ‘surrendered, renounced’ Maltese passport in 2021

Michael Delizo,

ABS-CBN News

Published Jul 14, 2025 10:18 AM PHT

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Updated Jul 14, 2025 03:29 PM PHT

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