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

Agatha Gregorio

ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/178367321442120230913-teodoro-gibo-dnd-confirmation-MD-5.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">The Commission on Appointments confirms the selection of Gilberto &quot;Gibo&quot; Teodoro Jr. as secretary of the Department of National Defense in Pasay City on September 13, 2023. Mark Demayo, ABS-CBN News</span></span></span></div><p>MANILA — Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro said on Friday he was seeking an increase in defense spending of up to 4 percent of gross domestic product as tensions involving China continued in the West Philippine Sea. </p><p>“Deterrence means more than commitment. It means actual spending. And it means lessening an entitlement to the public and putting these entitlements into building a credible and resilient force,” Teodoro said in a conference. </p><p>Teodoro noted that some of the Philippines’ neighbors “are increasing their defense spending to almost 5 percent.”</p><p>He pointed out that Indonesia, which is not a claimant country in the South China Sea disputes, recently acquired 47 Rafale fighter jets. </p><p>“We definitely need to realign… We need to because the budget is a finite item, right? And so more for one means less for another… There are several ways. We need to ramp up to at least 2 to 3 to 4 percent of GDP,” Teodoro said. </p><p>According to <a href="https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/MS.MIL.XPND.GD.ZS?locations=PH">World Bank Open Data</a>, the Philippines’ military expenditures were at 1.3 percent of the GDP as of 2024.</p><p>The Department of National Defense’s (DND) 2026 budget is at P305 billion under the General Appropriations Act (GAA).</p><p>The Philippines and China have in recent years regularly dealt with flare-ups in tensions over the disputed South China Sea.</p><p>Beijing claims the strategic waterway nearly in its entirety, despite an international ruling that said its assertions are baseless.</p><p>The anniversary of that decision at the Permanent Court of Arbitration will be on July 12. </p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/7/4/ahead-of-arbitral-ruling-anniversary-afp-urges-wider-observance-of-wps-victory-day-1138">Ahead of arbitral ruling anniversary, AFP urges wider observance of &#x27;WPS Victory Day&#x27;</a></div><p>“It is already beyond debate that the arbitral award is part and parcel of our legal arsenal,” Teodoro said. “Now, what we need to scale up is the pace by which our agencies responsible for implementing that arbitral award are capacitated for doing so.”</p><p>Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad noted there had been fewer illegal, coercive, aggressive, and deceptive (ICAD) activities by the Chinese Coast Guard in <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/7/6/teodoro-calls-china-s-common-fishing-area-proposal-in-bajo-de-masinloc-a-pr-stunt-1530">Bajo de Masinloc</a> in the last six months. But he said more warships had been spotted in the area. </p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/7/6/teodoro-calls-china-s-common-fishing-area-proposal-in-bajo-de-masinloc-a-pr-stunt-1530">&#x27;Not born yesterday&#x27;: Teodoro calls China&#x27;s &#x27;common fishing area&#x27; proposal in Bajo de Masinloc a PR stunt </a></div><p>Former Supreme Court Associate Justice Antonio Carpio argued another arbitration case should be filed in relation to the South China Sea issue, given potential revenue losses from as the dispute dragged on.</p><p>“We&#x27;re talking of mineral resources– Vietnam is claiming it, Malaysia is claiming it, China is claiming it. So how can you exploit the mineral resources when there&#x27;s so many claimants? Nobody will go there. A private company won&#x27;t spend their money because they don&#x27;t know who really owns it. So you have to clarify it before the businessmen will put their money. You have to show that you have the title,” Carpio said. </p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/6/28/dnd-china-s-reply-to-dfa-statement-on-arbitral-award-a-window-to-true-intentions-0931">DND: China’s reply to DFA statement on arbitral award a ‘window to true intentions’ </a></div><p>During the conference, Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Chief Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. said they were boosting transparency to counter “coercive actions”. </p><p>“Through our policy of assertive transparency, we document unlawful incidents, verify the facts, and make them known to the Filipino people and to the international community. We do this not to escalate tensions. We do it because truth matters. Transparency strengthens accountability,” Brawner said.</p><p>“It denies those who employ coercive actions the ability to shape the narrative through deception. The West Philippine Sea is no longer viewed simply as a bilateral issue. It has become a test of whether international law, freedom of navigation, and the rules-based international order will continue to guide our region and the world,” Brawner added.</p><p>Recently, various officials and experts condemned the claims of a group of Chinese academics that Batanes Islands supposedly belongs to Beijing. </p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/7/9/china-symposium-sparks-concern-over-reported-batanes-claim-1617">Batanes belongs to China? Symposium sparks concern over reported claim</a><br/><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/7/10/dfa-says-philippine-sovereignty-over-batanes-not-up-for-debate-1031">DFA: Philippine sovereignty over Batanes &#x27;not up for debate&#x27;; NHCP rejects Chinese claims</a></div><div><strong>— With a report from Agence France-Presse </strong></div><div><strong><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/GhLzxEAGG8Y?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/YkFN-gg1_CQ?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span></strong><br/></div>

<p>Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro said on Friday he was seeking an increase in defense spending of up to 4 percent of the gross domestic product as tensions involving China continued in the West Philippine Sea.</p>

Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro said on Friday he was seeking an increase in defense spending of up to 4 percent of the gross domestic product as tensions involving China continued in the West Philippine Sea.

Teodoro wants defense spending at 2 to 4 pct of GDP

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Teodoro wants defense spending at 2 to 4 pct of GDP

Agatha Gregorio,

ABS-CBN News

Published July 10, 2026 04:53 PM PHT

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Updated July 10, 2026 05:22 PM PHT

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