DEFENSE Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. on Wednesday opposed any further sale or conversion of military reservations, saying the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) must retain strategic properties as it strengthens its external defense posture amid evolving security challenges.
Speaking during the Kapihan sa Manila Bay forum, Teodoro said the Department of National Defense (DND) objects to proposals to extend the life of the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) and allow it to dispose of more military lands.
“I firmly oppose it. I speak for the organization,” Teodoro said when asked about a pending proposal to extend the BCDA’s mandate.
He said military reservations are national security assets that should remain under government control to support the AFP’s constitutional mandate of defending the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
“National domain comes first,” Teodoro said, stressing that military camps and reservations are essential for protecting the country’s territory and ensuring the Armed Forces can carry out their mission.
The Defense chief said the DND has begun an inventory of military properties and assets, and is seeking a detailed accounting of BCDA’s revenues, expenditures and remittances, particularly funds intended for the AFP modernization program.
According to Teodoro, billions of pesos generated from the conversion of former military camps over the years have not kept pace with the AFP’s modernization requirements.
He said the department also wants a clearer accounting of BCDA’s operating expenses and subsidiaries, questioning why additional military properties should be sold when the armed forces still require land for future operational needs.
Teodoro said some strategic areas, including Fort Bonifacio, Camp John Hay and Camp Wallace in La Union, remain important to the AFP and the DND, and should no longer be treated primarily as assets for commercial development.
He added that while the government will honor existing contracts and commitments, it should stop disposing of military lands needed for defense purposes.
The Defense secretary linked the issue to the country’s changing security environment, saying the Philippines is now transitioning from a security strategy centered on internal threats to one that gives greater emphasis to external defense.
“There is no sustainable external defense without internal peace and stability,” he said.
At the same time, Teodoro warned that national security threats are no longer limited to conventional military concerns.
He said the country faces “foreign malign influence” through activities that include illegal mining, labor exploitation, foreign-backed illicit operations and other activities that undermine national security.
He also cited recent cases involving substandard steel manufacturing as an example of how foreign-linked illegal activities can threaten public safety and critical infrastructure while serving as hubs for other unlawful operations.
To address these threats, Teodoro said the AFP is expanding its presence in strategic areas across the country, particularly in the country’s maritime domain.
He said stronger military basing would enable the armed forces to sustain logistics, rapidly reinforce troops stationed in remote areas and improve monitoring of illegal activities such as illegal fishing, deforestation and mining.
The Defense chief said the government also intends to accelerate the AFP modernization program by acquiring additional strategic assets, including multirole fighter aircraft, transport aircraft, helicopters and other platforms needed for both territorial defense and humanitarian assistance, and disaster response operations.
He noted, however, that defense modernization goes beyond buying military equipment.
Building a domestic defense industry, he said, would require reliable infrastructure, power supply, steel production capability and technology transfer agreements with partner countries while protecting intellectual property rights.
Teodoro said the Philippines continues to receive military assistance from allies, including the United States, Japan, Australia and European partners, through grants, equipment transfers and other defense cooperation programs that enhance the country’s maritime security and defense capabilities.
