By Priam Nepomuceno
MANILA – Department of Defense (DND) Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. on Wednesday underscored the need to have a strong military, saying diplomacy is of no use without it.
“There is no such thing as parity dealings with other countries, particularly if there is a controversy, if you do not have a strong armed force to back up diplomacy,” Teodoro said during the Victory Day Commemoration held at the US Ambassador’s Residence in Camp John Hay, Baguio City.
He said the country’s preparations to deter any form of conflict – whether military, non-military, against the elements, or economic competition – must be looked into.
“Those are the facts that we must review today. In my own remit with (Armed Forces chief) Gen. (Romeo) Brawner (Jr.), we have found several gaps that we have to modify in order to build our spine or backbone of any country worth being called a country,” he said.
Teodoro expressed hope that the Philippines can build up its resiliency and capability to show that it can be a partner in protecting the existing “international order.”
Victory Day Commemoration is celebrated to commemorate the end of the Japanese occupation of the Philippines in World War II. It honors the heroism of Filipino and American soldiers who fought side by side to liberate the Philippines.
The occasion also underscores eight decades of Philippine-American friendship. (PNA)
