Former Secretary Gilberto “Gibo” C. Teodoro, Jr. has extensive experience in both the private and the public sector. His first foray in public service was when he was 16 years old, as president of Kabataang Barangay as well as provincial board member of Tarlac.
After graduating from De La Salle University - Manila with a degree in BS Commerce, Major in Financial Institutions, he pursued and finished Law at the University of the Philippines. He was the topnotcher of the 1989 Philippine Bar Examinations. He also finished Masters of Law at Harvard University and passed the New York State Bar Examination.
Sec. Gibo went on to practice law and held corporate positions before reentering public service as a three-term Representative of First District of Tarlac, then as Defense Secretary, then went back to the corporate sector.
With his vast experience in both public and private sectors, Sec. Gibo, who is running for senator under the UniTeam, vows to bridge the citizens and the government once seated in the Senate.
Legislative priorities
Foremost of his priorities when elected in the Senate is to practice its oversight functions, specifically on the General Appropriations Act. He wants to put special attention to capacitating local government units, down to the barangay level, in order to make them as autonomous as possible.
He explained that, people expect a lot of services and responsibilities from the barangay and officials, who are under-incentivized or not motivated. Thus, incentivizing barangay officials is essential in order for there to be a sense of doing business particularly in this post- pandemic period where there is a need for a lot of capital investments.
Another legislative priority is to incentivize infrastructure for logistics purposes, both digital and physical. He stressed that connectivity is one of the foundations of a strong nation. Improving physical and digital connectivity will allow government to provide better social services and drive economic development to all provinces in the country.
Sec. Gibo bats for upgrading of digital infrastructure and interconnectivity. He is pushing for a strengthening of the security system to protect not just the citizens’ information but also the national security’s.
He added that the government and private sector must invest in emerging and disruptive technologies, because by doing so, the government will have the ability to respond promptly to crisis situations such as the pandemic and cyber security threats; while the private sector can revolutionize how they commonly do things with the desired outcome that is improving the living conditions of Filipinos.
He also bats for the building of logistics hubs in key areas throughout the country, such as setting up seaports, airports, and commercial centers that will spur local commerce and trade. Through these logistics hubs, the movement of people and goods will be made possible if not easier from island to island.
In terms of food security, which is also one of his main concerns, Sec. Gibo said that it can be achieved when everyone has access to sufficient and nutritious food. In order to have that, he explained that the government should help the farmers and fisherfolks by getting supply from them to be able to feed the public, especially those who need it.
Educational reform is also among Sec. Gibo’s platforms. He advocates for literacy to be introduced as early as children attend daycare and that high school and college should enrich their curriculums to provide for more learning opportunities. He wants to look deeper into the condition of their learning materials and if the content is relevant to a future world in the age of intelligence. He also stressed that higher education should be based on merit, although it should be free and affordable — free for those who are truly deserving, and affordable to those who can afford it and are deserving.
Sec. Gibo also bats for development of infrastructure projects that will boost the country’s tourism, which he said is a sunshine industry and a potential substantial contributor to Philippine economic growth.
He will also work to capacitate the Department of National Defense (DND) and the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), stressing that the two key departments must be empowered, capable to act and legally competent when the country is confronted with concerns such as the West Philippine Sea (WPS) issue.
Likewise, he will push for the continuous upgrading of the capacity of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) in order to be able to create a credible deterrent to external disputes. Meanwhile, with regard to internal security, pertinent laws should be amended to build up the Philippine National Police’s (PNP) capacity, and reinforce their accountability and discipline standards so that the PNP can take on an internal security role at the forefront.
Bagong Pilipinas para sa Bagong Henerasyon
Sec. Gibo stressed the need to reengineer the country’s political structure that will result to the opening of the economy and in the best possible way, benefit the Filipino people regardless of cultural or regional backgrounds.
He said that Filipinos recognize that each and every one is different and that they respect that difference.
“We should be proud of our diversity. A Filipino knows that each one of us under the monicker Filipino is different and respects that difference and makes that difference work. We must have a political structure that mirrors that mindset,” Sec. Gibo stressed.
He explained that the reason why his slogan is “Bagong Pilipinas para sa Bagong Henerasyon” is because the ultimate beneficiaries will be the next generation.
Through this, Sec. Gibo envisions to unite Filipinos of different ages and backgrounds with the goal of generating new ideas and solutions to perennial concerns of the country.