The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) reaffirmed its close partnership with the Department of National Defense (DND) under Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. to enhance the country’s defense capabilities and protect its sovereignty.
“We continue to work shoulder to shoulder with the DND in advancing our modernization goals and strengthening our Comprehensive Archipelagic Defense Concept (CADC),” AFP spokesperson Col. Francel Margareth Padilla said Thursday night.
President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. retained Teodoro as defense chief after declining his courtesy resignation, a move welcomed by the AFP.
The CADC directs the AFP to defend all Philippine territories, including its 200-nautical-mile exclusive economic zone. Under Teodoro’s leadership, the AFP remains focused on safeguarding Philippine sovereignty, particularly in the West Philippine Sea.
Padilla also expressed respect for the President’s decision to keep Teodoro in the post, noting that Teodoro and other Cabinet members had offered their resignations as part of the administration’s recalibration efforts.
Teodoro thanked the President for the continued trust, saying, “Our mission at the DND continues. I thank the President for his continued trust and confidence as we pursue his vision of strengthening the nation’s defense, protecting the patrimony of our archipelagic nation, and promoting regional peace and stability.”