Teodoro urges stronger ASEAN cooperation on disaster response
Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. on Wednesday called for stronger regional cooperation in humanitarian assistance and disaster response as the Philippines opened the 20th ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting (ADMM) and 13th ADMM-Plus in Mactan, Cebu.
Teodoro, who chairs the meetings under the Philippines' 2026 ASEAN chairship, emphasized the importance of regional solidarity amid increasingly severe and unpredictable natural disasters.
"It is my distinct honor to welcome you all to the 20th ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting. On behalf of the goverment of the Republic of the Philippines, and the people of the Philippines, I wish to thank our fellow member states and the ASEAN Secretariat for your continued support for our chairship of ASEAN and your commitment to the security and resilience of our region," Teodoro said.
He expressed sympathy for ASEAN countries recently affected by natural calamities and thanked regional partners for extending assistance to the Philippines.
"I would like to express likewise our sincerest sympathies to our fellow member states who have been affected recently by natural calamities which have grown more frequent, severe, complex and unpredictable in recent years," he said.
Teodoro stressed that cooperation in responding to disasters remains one of the clearest demonstrations of ASEAN unity.
"We will oft repeat and keep on repeating that cooperation on humanitarian assistance and disaster response is one of the most visible expressions of solidarity and it is a comfort to know that each one of us can rely on our ASEAN brothers and sisters for assistance in times of need," he said.
The two-day meetings bring together ASEAN defense ministers and dialogue partners to discuss regional security, military cooperation and emerging challenges.
Among the issues on the agenda are maritime security, counterterrorism, peacekeeping operations, military medicine, humanitarian assistance and cybersecurity.
Hegseth arrives in Cebu
Meanwhile, US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth arrived at Mactan-Cebu International Airport on Wednesday aboard a Boeing E-4B Nightwatch aircraft to participate in the ADMM-Plus meetings.
Hegseth was accompanied by Assistant Secretary of War for Indo-Pacific Security Affairs John Noh and Deputy Assistant Secretary of War for South and Southeast Asia Rafael Leonardo.
The E-4B Nightwatch, commonly called the "Doomsday Plane," serves as an airborne command center designed to maintain US military command and control capabilities during national emergencies.
Hegseth is expected to meet with ASEAN defense officials during the gathering.
West Philippine Sea on agenda
Defense Assistant Secretary Arsenio Andolong earlier confirmed that maritime security, including developments in the West Philippine Sea, would be discussed.
"The Secretary (Teodoro) always said that the West Philippine Sea will always be part of the discussion. It would be no different," Andolong said Tuesday.
China is also expected to be represented at the meetings, although its participating officials had yet to be confirmed in the report.
The participating countries are expected to issue a joint statement following the discussions, reflecting their positions on regional defense cooperation and shared security concerns.