Jonathan Frederic De Santos

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

Article (news)

Bianca Dava

ABS-CBN News

<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/17839497369061783949734094.jpeg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/>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</div>MANILA — Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. on Monday said he is not considering a presidential bid in 2028, stressing his priority remains leading the country’s defense establishment.Asked by reporters whether he is considering running for president in the next national elections, Teodoro said it would not be healthy for him to think about politics while major responsibilities rest on his shoulders.“Sa ngayon, palagay ko hindi malusog para sa akin na isipin &#x27;yan kasi ang daming nakasalalay sa akin, na hindi lang ang ating pangulo, kundi ating mga convergence partners, pati na ang DND [Department of National Defense], AFP [Armed Forces of the Philippines]—ini-transform natin sila sa isang journey,” the defense chief said in a chance interview on the sidelines of a memorial bust unveiling in Daraga, Albay.“The best way probably is to concentrate on your job,” he added.Teodoro stressed that political developments will unfold in their own time.“Ngayon, kung ano’ng mangyari sa politika, mangyayari &#x27;yan. Hindi natin pwedeng pilitin. Kung uukol, bubukol,” Teodoro, who ran for president in the 2010 elections, said.Teodoro has been leading the DND’s efforts to strengthen the country’s defense posture, accelerate the modernization of the AFP, and implement the Comprehensive Archipelagic Defense Concept (CADC) amid evolving security challenges in the West Philippine Sea and the broader Indo-Pacific region.

Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. on Monday said he is not considering a presidential bid in 2028, stressing that his priority remains leading the country’s defense establishment.

Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. on Monday said he is not considering a presidential bid in 2028, stressing that his priority remains leading the country’s defense establishment.

‘Kung uukol, bubukol’: Teodoro says focus remains on defense, not 2028 race

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‘Kung uukol, bubukol’: Teodoro says focus remains on defense, not 2028 race

Bianca Dava,

ABS-CBN News

Published July 13, 2026 09:49 PM PHT

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Gilberto Teodoro Jr.

2028 presidential elections

DND

Department of National Defense

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