A SECOND letter purportedly signed by Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. and addressed to a supposed United States official has surfaced online, this time making claims about a multibillion-dollar fighter jet deal, US military construction projects and Philippine mining interests.
The two-page document, dated May 29, 2026, appears to bear Teodoro’s signature and the letterhead of the Department of National Defense (DND). Its authenticity has not been independently verified.
Peter Enzminger, the recipient named in the purported letters, is listed as a counselor in the US Embassy’s diplomatic roster in the Philippines.
The document surfaced less than three weeks after the DND publicly denounced an earlier letter purportedly signed by Teodoro and also addressed to Enzminger, referring it to the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) for investigation.
In a Sept. 29 statement, DND spokesman Assistant Secretary Arsenio Andolong described the earlier letter as “obviously and absolutely false and fake.”
He characterized its circulation as another episode of foreign interference and malign influence intended to discredit the government’s efforts to assert national sovereignty and territorial integrity.
The earlier letter, dated July 31, contained claims about an operation at Ayungin Shoal in the West Philippine Sea and the Philippines’ security cooperation with the United States.
In the purported May 29 letter, the writer tells Enzminger that efforts to advance a proposed $5.58-billion acquisition of F-16 fighter jets and related equipment had made progress despite doubts among Philippine officials over the cost.
The document claims the procurement proposal was put forward in April 2025 and that the writer had resisted pressure to abandon the process.
It also refers to an entity identified as “USARM Mison,” which the letter claims was contacting American companies to advance procurement in a manner aligned with the interests of both countries.
The purported writer argues that acquiring F-16s would give the Philippines an urgent deterrence capability against China and suggests that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. could be persuaded to accept the transaction.
The document also discusses potential acquisitions of advanced military equipment, including the Typhon mid-range capability, the Navy-Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (Nmesis), the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (Himars), and the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (Thaad) system.
On the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA), the letter claims that only 15 of 126 approved projects had been completed and that most were experiencing serious delays. It puts the projects’ total value at about $140 million and urges Washington to provide more stable and timely funding.
The document further discusses the Pax Silica initiative, including the establishment of the Clark Advanced Manufacturing Park and a proposal to promote mining interests as potential partners in US-Philippine economic cooperation.
The authenticity of these claims and the document’s purported authorship remain unverified.
The Manila Times has reached out to Andolong for comment, but he has yet to respond.
The DND’s Sept. 29 statement concerned the earlier letter dated July 31 and did not specifically address the May 29 document.
The emergence of the second purported letter raises further questions about the circulation of documents bearing the defense chief’s name and signature. However, the available material does not establish who produced or distributed either document.