Department of National Defense (DND) Secretary Gilberto C. Teodoro Jr. on Saturday underscored the vital role of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Reserve Force in strengthening the country’s defense capabilities, supporting communities and contributing to national resilience during the culmination of the 47th AFP National Reservist Week at Camp Aguinaldo.

Speaking before reservists and AFP officials, Teodoro highlighted the Reserve Force’s role in addressing gaps in the AFP’s active-duty force structure through “force and mission replication and support,” including “functional replication, and substitution, if necessary, of operating units.”

He underscored the role of the Reserve Force in complementing the AFP’s active-duty force structure and strengthening the military’s footprint across the country, while noting that effective operations require adequate infrastructure and other support.

“Any activity is unsustainable if there is inadequate support. So maybe that is a gap where our reservists can fill,” the Defense Chief said, stressing that defense modernization must be accompanied by the necessary infrastructure to sustain the country’s capabilities.

Teodoro outlined three major threats confronting the country according to their imminence: natural calamities and disasters, internal and external security threats, and actual conflict. He called for community-based, deployable critical-function replication to support disaster response, including fire response, first aid and village wardens, while emphasizing that these should be non-combatant and purely voluntary.

For internal and external security threats, he emphasized deterrence as the country’s prime objective, requiring an increased posture through infrastructure, capabilities, force size and activities conducted singly, bilaterally or multilaterally to demonstrate the ability to resist threats.

The Defense Chief further emphasized the need for continued modernization, infrastructure buildup, enhanced community survivability and internal hardening against malign foreign influence and disinformation, noting the reality of cognitive warfare and changing narratives.

As a maritime and archipelagic country, the Philippines must control its territorial land domain, baseline areas from which its maritime entitlements are drawn, its exclusive economic zone (EEZ) and other areas under its jurisdiction, including its extended continental shelves, according to Teodoro.

He also emphasized the country’s responsibility to help secure supply chains and protect Filipino seafarers, whom he identified as the number one nationality victimized by piracy and other untoward activities due to world and ethnic conflicts elsewhere.

In this regard, he called on the Reserve Force to pursue activities along the Pacific Ocean boundary and areas leading to the Pacific Ocean, particularly in coastal and island provinces, where the country faces vulnerabilities along its Eastern Seaboard.

“Our vulnerability is in the Eastern Seaboard. I would like the Reserve Commands to pursue activities on our Pacific Ocean boundary and or areas leading to the Pacific Ocean. That is a huge gap,” he said.

Teodoro also invoked the legacy of Capt. Conrado Yap as a symbol of volunteerism and valor that reservists may emulate, stating, “I've had the occasion to share my thoughts na, let's not remember Captain Yap as a person who lost his life in Korea, but one who has planted the flag of the Republic of the Philippines to fly in perpetuity in the Republic of Korea as commitment of the Filipinos to peace and democracy worldwide.”

The 47th AFP National Reservist Week, observed from Sept. 3 to 10, carried the theme “Laang Kawal: Sandigan ng Bayan sa Kapayapaan, Kaayusan, at Katatagan.” The culmination ceremony featured the recognition and awarding of reservists and stakeholders for their contributions to the Reserve Force and the nation.

The activity was attended by DND Undersecretary for Civil, Veterans, and Reserve Affairs Pablo M. Lorenzo, AFP Vice Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Rommel P. Roldan and Deputy Chief of Staff for Reserve Force Development (OJ9) Maj. Gen. Gerold N. Gagan, along with other AFP officers, reservists and stakeholders.

Teodoro concluded by encouraging reservists to extend their help and make some sacrifices to assist fellow Filipinos in need.