November 5, 2024 (Quezon City) – During his keynote speech at the 6th Katipunan Conference, held on Tuesday at Ateneo de Manila University in Quezon City, Secretary of National Defense Gilberto C. Teodoro, Jr. underscored the pivotal role of a robust national defense in driving economic resilience and growth.

The conference, themed “Philippine Strategic Outlook 2024 Onwards: National Security and Economic Resilience,” brought together leaders, scholars, and policy experts to discuss strategies for strengthening the country amid rising regional challenges.

Secretary Teodoro shared the Department of National Defense’s (DND) Comprehensive Archipelagic Defense Concept (CADC), emphasizing the importance of securing the nation’s territorial and economic zones.

“We have articulated a new defense policy or defense concept called the Comprehensive Archipelagic Defense Concept, where it is the bounded duty of the Armed Forces of the Philippines to secure not only terrestrial Philippines or the normal Philippines but also our exclusive economic zones and other areas where we have jurisdiction,” Secretary Teodoro said.

The Defense Chief also emphasized that the recently enacted Self-Reliant Defense Posture Revitalization Act is essential to modernization efforts, which focus on command and control, deterrence capabilities, and interoperability.

Reflecting on climate change’s impact, Secretary Teodoro described it as the nation’s “biggest enemy,” noting recent natural disasters that have strained the country’s resources. The Defense Chief also recognized collaborative efforts with neighboring countries, including Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Brunei, which have sent their air assets for disaster relief operations.

Further, Secretary Teodoro addressed the necessity for secure and dedicated defense infrastructure and capabilities.

“We are investing in creating new dockyards and shipyards that are operationally secure, particularly in the West Philippine Sea. We have ten naval vessels arriving without any dockyard to put them in, so I’m catching up to create new facilities for the capabilities that were ordered before, and for the capabilities that we will need. We will also need to re-engineer the design of our structures,” Secretary Teodoro shared.

Following his address, Secretary Teodoro engaged in a question-and-answer session with the participants, discussing issues on defense policies, regional alliances, and ongoing geopolitical tensions.