Defense Secretary Gilberto “Gibo” Teodoro Jr. on Monday disputed reports that military and uniformed personnel (MUP) pensions had nearly tripled the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ modernization (AFP) budget, saying the comparison was misleading.

Teodoro was responding to a report with the title that “P143 billion MUP pension nearly triple AFP’s modernization budget.”

He said only 49.6 percent of the total MUP pension budget goes to AFP retirees, with the rest allocated to other uniformed services.

“To equate the total MUP pension to the AFP modernization is not accurate as a comparison indicator,” Teodoro said.

He also said the pension issue should be viewed alongside the government’s overall spending on defense, noting that countries worldwide were increasing defense spending amid security concerns.

Teodoro called for a review of the AFP Modernization budget and the repeal of the AFP Modernization Act, saying the program was supposed to rely on remittances from the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (bcda) that had remained limited and required national government subsidies.

He also criticized the loss of defense-related government properties and called for changes to the BCDA’s corporate structure to reduce administrative costs and cross-subsidies.

Teodoro defended the military’s pension system, citing the AFP’s responsibilities across more than 7,600 islands and 2.4 million square kilometers of maritime territory.

“Our soldiers address a variety of missions 365 days a year without any breaks,” he said, arguing that AFP pensions should be funded by the national government.

He stressed he was not opposed to pension reform but that changes should recognize the AFP’s broader national security responsibilities.