"Bakuna, bakuna, bakuna!"

Gibo believes that in order to reopen the Philippine economy following the pandemic, Filipinos must first get fully vaccinated so they can safely return to work. Once jobs are reopened, the economy can begin to revitalize.

He is aware, however, that the country faces multiple hurdles to mass vaccination since firstly, the Philippines is an archipelago, which makes the already strenuous process of vaccine delivery even more difficult. Secondly, plenty of Filipinos are still wary of the vaccines. Gibo advocates that the government must provide more efficient modes of transporting vaccines and educating the public on the safety of getting vaccinated against COVID.

"Ako po’y humihikayat sa ating kababayan na magpabakuna na, hindi lang para sa atin, pero para sa ating pamilya, at sa ating bansa."

“Ang bawat isang Pilipino ay likas na yaman.”

Gibo considers the Filipino people as one of the country’s most important natural resources. He also believes education is a basic human right that should be affordable and accessible to all.

Only with proper education can the country ensure productive citizens that can be of service to their families and ultimately, the Philippines.

Gibo also advocates that literacy should already be introduced as early as children attend daycare and that high school and college should enrich their curriculums to provide for more learning opportunities.

“Ang pagpapatuloy ng katahimikan sa lugar na ito, ay bugkos ng mga basic services na tinatawag”

Gibo firmly believes that in order to maintain peace and order in the country, we must protect our natural resources and responsibly use these to generate revenue for the country. This will provide jobs for the unemployed and more income to farmers and fisherfolk.

“Para maging sentro ito ng produktibo na mapapakinabangan ang likas na yaman sa patas na paraan, sa ikabubuti ng mga mamamayan na naninirahan sa mga lugar na ito,”

“Ang abot kaya at masustansyang pagkain para sa `lahat ng ating mga kababayan ay napaka importante. Napaka importante din nang ating mga magsasaka at mangingisda ay mapangalagaan.”

Food security is achieved when everyone has access to sufficient and nutritious food, and in order to have that, Gibo says that the government should help the farmers and fisherfolks by getting supply from them to be able to feed the public, especially those who need it.

Food security is all about nutritious and affordable food. It is not dole-outs and ayuda that more often than not use unhealthy canned and processed foods but rather having a strategic capability to produce and source our food requirements for the nation.

“Eto ay balanse na ginagawa ng gobyerno upang makatulong sa dalawang naglalabang sektor na ito -- ang mga kumakain at ang mga gumagawa ng sangkap para kainin, dahil syempre sa kaliwang kamay, gusto ng magsasaka at mangingisda ang sapat na kita sa ginagawa nila, ngunit napakahirap pa rin ng buhay para sa kanila. Kailangan din naman natin pakainin ang lumalaking populasyon natin sa abot kaya at masustansyang paraan,” The Ex-Defense Secretary concluded.

It is hard to unite a nation that is physically disconnected because of its geography. Connectivity is key to foundation to strengthen the Philippines

“Of course for normal operations for command and control, you need to upgrade your digital infrastructure and interconnectivity particularly our archipelago”

With the advent of technology and the world rapidly transitioning to the digital space, Gibo is pushing for a strengthening of the security system to protect not just the citizens’ information but also the national security’s.

The former defense secretary also emphasizes the need to have a strong internet connection in every corner of the Philippines for the Filipino people to be able to talk to their loved ones wherever they may be.

Connectivity is one of the foundations of a strong nation. It must be our National Interest to achieve efficient and effective physical connections for our archipelagic country. Improving physical and digital connectivity will allow us to provide better social services and drive economic development to all provinces in the Philippines.

“The Philippine National Police should be governed under a different set of laws than the civil service.”

Gibo firmly believes that the police should not be under the Civil Service Law since they are armed government officials. Therefore, he pushes for a reform of their structures to lessen the chances of police abusing their power, and to ensure that they strictly use their weapons against criminality alone.

He also seeks to enhance the budget of the military and the police which will be used to strengthen their capabilities so they can be more equipped to protect their country.

Gibo adds, “I would like to see someone enact the Uniform Code of Military Justice.”

“Mahigpit ang proseso ng gobyerno dahil mahigpit ang batas.”

The government needs to ease the way it reacts to issues, said Gibo. In contrast to how private corporations work, the Ex-Defense Secretary explained that the latter is able to respond quicker and more efficiently since they are free to restructure according to the situation.

The government, meanwhile, needs more resources so it can adapt to suit the needs of the changing world around it. This is why Gibo advocates for synergy between the public and the private sector so both parties can fully support each other through legislation and additional funding.