Opinion: Challenges to the new Defense secretary

Opinion piece posted to the Manila Times (Jun 11, 2023): Challenges to the new Defense secretary (By Maj. Gen. Edgard A. Arevalo (Ret.))

THE Department of National Defense (DND) had two "juniors" to occupy its eminent seat in succession for a period of just a year: retired general Jose Faustino Jr. and Gen. Carlito Galvez Jr. Both were former Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chiefs of staff and both held the post in their capacities as senior undersecretaries. The department is again in a jubilant mood with the appointment of a third "junior" to hold the Defense portfolio for the second time — Secretary Gilberto Eduardo Gerardo "Gibo" Cojuangco Teodoro Jr., a lawyer. Just in time as the nation celebrates its 125th year of independence on June 12, 2023.

Since his appointment and oathtaking, until his actual assumption of office on Wednesday, June 7, 2023, interviews with him have hogged the news headlines. After a long-rumored designation, amid several names floating to steer national defense, Teodoro's anointment ended speculations why there has not been a regular DND secretary. With Gibo's gift of gab, no wonder his first media engagement was a blockbuster. "It was like a feeding frenzy," a DND official who witnessed the forum said. And why not? Gibo's pronouncements on major national defense issues were clear and concise, and articulated in sound bites that the media adores, and the public would love to hear from a president or a senator. And naturally, Teodoro sits at the DND high chair with expectations even higher.

MUP pension system

Gibo's first marching order from President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. was to find a sustainable pension scheme for military and uniformed personnel (MUP) who were agitated by Finance Secretary Benjamin Diokno. The latter did not only declare the current pension system for MUP as causing "fiscal collapse," he particularly piqued the military — calling its retirement policy "ridiculous" and pushed for them to contribute to their pension. But the AFP believes it was the inclusion of other "uniformed personnel" that do not fit in as members of the military service that caused it.

Gibo's challenge is how to convince the military to contribute instead of seeking the removal of police personnel, coast guards, jail guards and managers, firefighters and mapping personnel whose pension the State shoulders. He must, in turn, be able to convince Congress to pass a new pension law that provides for an amount of contribution acceptable to the military, that allocates a certain percentage for indexation in the pension of veterans and retirees that would apply only to the new entrants to the AFP. The DND chief should succeed in including these provisions if only to dissuade 70 percent to 80 percent of active AFP enlisted personnel from applying for optional retirement for fear of diminutions in their pension.

Altering the AFP's ISO mindset

The government notes a massive decline in internal security threats. The acclaimed successful campaign of the National Task Force on Ending Local Communist and Local Armed Conflict led to the "irreversible decline" of the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People's Army-National Democratic Front (CPP-NPA-NDF) and the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG).

Also, with the establishment of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters has ceased to be an adversary. These being the premises, Gibo can direct the AFP's campaign to be focused from internal security to external defense.

Teodoro's past stint as a lawmaker can be handy in pushing for the amendment of Republic Act 8551 and reverting to the Philippine National Police the task of internal security operations (ISO) to combat the remnants of the CPP-NPA, who are now relegated to criminals and bandits and are therefore a peace and order problem.

With the volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous geopolitical situation in the region, President Marcos aptly ordered the DND to transition to territorial defense "without sacrificing the gains in internal security." But the shift will entail organizational changes and adjustments in the Defense establishment over time. For instance, in territorial defense, the Philippine Air Force and the Philippine Navy will be the lead services following the AFP's existing doctrine. Gibo is expected to push the transition.

The military can fairly expect the DND secretary to capitalize on his charisma as a former legislator to lobby for a sizeable increase in the AFP modernization budget — aside from the amount for DND capital outlay — to fund the procurement of additional and state-of-the-art aircraft, naval assets, missile systems and sensors to upgrade the AFP's current detection, deterrence, and defense capabilities. The department must be able to implement a gradual reduction in the Table of Organization and Equipment (TOE) of the Philippine Army to match the shift in operational focus and optimize the utilization of the scarce DND budget.

In the pursuit of his marching orders from the President to protect our territories, we hope for Teodoro to push for the expansion and development of forsaken naval detachments in Ayungin Shoal, Kota, Lawak, Likas, Pag-asa, Panata, Parola, Patag and Pugad. He can leverage the new Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement sites for his American counterpart to improve these stations to make them more habitable and defendable. We expect Gibo with his vast legal and negotiation skills to be able to strike a better deal with the United States government for a modernization support arrangement more equitable than, among others, Foreign Military Sales Credit and Military Logistics Support Agreement.

Daunting tasks, big expectations

Teodoro's pronouncements were clear and unequivocal. And his perspectives, while not all entirely new, were expressed eloquently in words that the media and the public want to hear from a Secretary of National Defense. Certainly, to some sectors who are not particularly happy about having former military men holding the Defense portfolio, they will bat for one who is purely civilian with vast experience and gray matter over a retired general with military education, training and experience.

But while the appointment of Teodoro was warmly welcomed by the public, something worries them.

In his own words, he declared that his policy pronouncements "will take time to implement." The MUP, the inclusion of capital outlay for the DND in the General Appropriations Act, the shift of military mindset from Army-infantry centric ISO of the Hukbalahap era to a Navy-Air Force-led territorial defense operations AFP, are but some advocacies that will take years to institute. Will he be there to see through them?

While Gibo can lay the foundations, as his predecessors had done, being essentially the same concepts and policies, there is no substitute to him to be personally at the helm for directions — giving all his time, energy, faculty and focus to DND advancement and reforms.

Will he consume all his full five years, or will he be out again to campaign and vie for a Senate seat by 2025? The nation hopes that the one year and two senior undersecretaries wait for his coming is the pudding best for the eating.

https://www.manilatimes.net/2023/06/11/opinion/columns/challenges-to-the-new-defense-secretary/1895510