DND SEC. GILBERTO TEODORO JUNIOR | PHOTO FROM HIS OFFICE
The Department of National Defense (DND) on Thursday said the Philippines will advance practical and principles-based defense cooperation in Southeast Asia as it assumes the ASEAN chairship in 2026.
DND Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr., in remarks delivered by Defense Senior Undersecretary Irineo Espino during the launch of the DND-led ASEAN 2026 engagements in Makati City, said Manila will build on ongoing defense initiatives anchored on ASEAN solidarity and shared regional values.
He said the Philippines aims to strengthen cooperation in key areas including artificial intelligence, maritime security, disaster resilience, and peacekeeping operations.
Present during the launch were senior officials of the DND and attached bureaus, foreign armed forces attachés, and Philippine defense and military attachés who will represent the country in ASEAN defense platforms next year.
The Philippines will host several major engagements, including the 20th ASEAN Defense Ministers’ Meeting (ADMM), the 13th ADMM-Plus, and the ADMM-Plus Experts’ Working Group on Maritime Security Joint Cooperative Activity, which will be held back-to-back with the 2nd ASEAN-India Maritime Exercise.
Teodoro also reaffirmed the Philippines’ commitment to help monitor the ceasefire agreement between Thailand and Cambodia, a mechanism brokered by Malaysia as the outgoing ASEAN chair.
With the support of ASEAN member states, he said the Philippines intends to sustain the ASEAN-led Observer Team as part of its advocacy for an intra-ASEAN mechanism for dispute resolution.
Teodoro noted that geopolitical conditions in Southeast Asia and the broader Indo-Pacific have significantly shifted since the Philippines last chaired ASEAN in 2017, making the upcoming chairship an “invaluable opportunity” to reinforce regional peace and stability.
He said the Philippines would continue pushing for ASEAN unity amid strategic challenges confronting the region.
“In our uncertain yet interdependent world, it is our shared principles that will guide our way forward,” Teodoro said. “In that spirit, I look forward to working with all of you in navigating our future together.”