Jauhn Etienne Villaruel

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)

CA confirms Teodoro Appointment

Bianca Dava

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/178574123973020230913-teodoro-gibo-dnd-confirmation-MD-1.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. <em>Mark Demayo, ABS-CBN News</em></span></span></span></div><p>KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. on Monday urged the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to view the Philippines’ defense of the 2016 Arbitral Award on the South China Sea not as a solely national interest, but as a fight for principles that benefit the entire region.</p><p>Speaking at the 37th United States Pacific Command (USPACOM) International Military Law and Operations Security Engagement (MILOPS) Conference in Kuala Lumpur, Teodoro said the Philippines’ geographic position gives ASEAN a strategic link to the Pacific, making the country’s territorial integrity and maritime entitlements important to member states.</p><p>He noted that the Philippines is the only ASEAN member state that “straddles both the South China Sea and the Pacific Ocean.”</p><p>“No other ASEAN country, I repeat, has that,” he said.</p><p>Teodoro explained that this makes the Philippines an important connection between ASEAN and its Pacific neighbors, particularly as the region seeks greater cooperation on trade, commerce, sustainability and security.</p><p>“It will only have a significant presence in the Pacific if, and only if, it recognizes and realizes the Philippines as that link to the Pacific, which is equally important to ASEAN in order to make it an effective crossroad of trade, commerce, sustainability, and most importantly, resilience, and vice versa with our Pacific neighbors,” he said.</p><p>According to the official, ASEAN’s interest in maintaining unimpeded access to the Pacific under the framework of international law should extend to supporting the Philippines’ maritime rights.</p><p>“Therefore, it follows that if ASEAN wants unimpeded access to the Pacific under a regime of UNCLOS and our trust and confidence, it follows that ensuring Philippine entitlements as a whole under UNCLOS and the Arbitral Award is in ASEAN’s interest,” he stressed.</p><p>The conference brought together defense officials, international military leaders, and regional stakeholders, including the ASEAN Secretary-General.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>‘2016 ARBITRAL AWARD BENEFITS ASEAN’</strong></div><div><br/></div><p>Teodoro’s remarks come as the Philippines marks the 10th anniversary of the 2016 Arbitral Award, which rejected China’s expansive claims in the South China Sea using its so-called nine-dash line.</p><p>The ruling also clarified the maritime entitlements of the parties under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).</p><p>“My point here is that the Filipinos have won, through this arbitral award, rulings of the Permanent Court of Arbitration, which not only benefit the Philippines, but benefit all of us here, particularly those who are similarly situated,” the defense chief said.</p><p>Teodoro highlighted several legal principles arising from the ruling, including the central role of UNCLOS in determining maritime entitlements and the tribunal’s findings on China’s historic rights claims.</p><p>He also pointed to the ruling’s treatment of artificial islands, as well as of Bajo de Masinloc or Scarborough Shoal, saying the shoal is within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ).</p><p>“On the question of Bajo de Masinloc, it’s within our EEZ, and it is an artisanal fishing ground of Filipinos,” he said.</p><p>Teodoro emphasized that the Arbitral Award should be treated as an instrument of regional convergence, rather than division, among ASEAN member states.</p><p>He went on, “And because it benefits the Philippines, who else does it benefit? It benefits ASEAN because ASEAN is within a very important part of the Philippine context.”</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>PHILIPPINES ‘DOING ASEAN A SERVICE’</strong></div><div><br/></div><p>Teodoro said the Philippines’ adherence to international law also strengthens ASEAN’s role in preserving a rules-based regional order.</p><p>“In  this endeavor, the Philippines is doing ASEAN a service by standing up for the rule of international law in the most direct and concrete manner, given its threats, a great sacrifice to our people,” the official stressed.</p><p>He cited Malaysia and Singapore as examples of ASEAN countries that have brought disputes before independent tribunals and complied with their decisions.</p><p>The defense chief said the Philippines has likewise pursued its maritime disputes through peaceful, legal and transparent means.</p><p>“Philippines never took unilateral action. Never did,” he added.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>CHINA’S ‘AGGRESSION’</strong></div><div><br/></div><p>Teodoro said the Philippines is facing a unique security situation as its maritime domain comes under “severe daily threats” from China.</p><p>“And no other ASEAN country is experiencing the same kind of aggression that the Philippines is facing today,” he said.</p><p>He cited incidents involving the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) and the Philippine Navy, as well as the disruption of Filipino fishermen’s livelihoods, saying these require a “very whole-of-country” response.</p><p>“So we have to have defense resilience, as everybody here does,” he added.</p><p>Teodoro said China’s behavior in the West Philippine Sea has become increasingly aggressive, while warning that coercive and disruptive activities, along with misinformation and disinformation, can weaken targeted countries.</p><p>According to him, the Philippines has responded by pursuing greater transparency in its maritime operations, explaining that openness is necessary to build trust and convergence among countries.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>TEODORO: ASEAN CANNOT REMAIN A ‘ZONE OF NEUTRALITY’</strong></div><div><br/></div><p>In an ambush interview after his speech, Teodoro said ASEAN’s different economic and strategic relationships with China should not prevent member states from recognizing areas where their interests converge.</p><p>He argued that ASEAN cannot indefinitely remain a “zone of neutrality” amid what he described as China’s efforts to divide the region.</p><p>“Hindi pwedeng mangyari ang zone of neutrality sa ASEAN dahil meron talagang isang pwersa, yung China, na winawatak-watak tayo,” Teodoro told reporters in Malaysia.</p><p>He said the Philippines is taking the lead in defending its maritime interests not only because it is a national duty, but because similar challenges could also affect other countries in the region.</p><p>“Kaya ang Pilipinas nga ang nangunguna dito dahil number one, of course, duty natin bilang Pilipino, pero mangyayari din sa iba ‘yan eh,” he noted.</p><p>Teodoro stressed that the Philippines’ objective is ultimately to find an approach that benefits not only Filipinos but the whole region.</p><p>“Kinuha ko itong okasyon na ito para magbigay ng paraan kung paano tayo makaprogress—na mabuti sa Pilipino, mabuti sa ASEAN, mabuti sa ating mga kaalyado. Kasi ‘yan ang obligasyon ng Pilipino dahil crossroads nga eh,” he said.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEOS</strong></div><div><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/_taGk2VmsTQ?&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/AprKwNLPI6M?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div>

<p>Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. emphasized that the Arbitral Award should be treated as an instrument of regional convergence, rather than division, among ASEAN member states.</p>

Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. emphasized that the Arbitral Award should be treated as an instrument of regional convergence, rather than division, among ASEAN member states.

Teodoro urges ASEAN to back PH’s 2016 Arbitral Award

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Teodoro urges ASEAN to back PH’s 2016 Arbitral Award

Bianca Dava,

ABS-CBN News

Published August 03, 2026 03:20 PM PHT

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Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr.

Malaysia

MILOPS

International Military Law and Operations Security Engagement Conference

China

West Philippine Sea

South China Sea

2016 Arbitral Award

ASEAN

Pacific

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