Gilbert Teodoro

Gilberto Eduardo Gerardo Cojuangco Teodoro Jr. (born June 14, 1964), nicknamed Gibo ([ɡɪˈboʔ]), is a Filipino lawyer, politician, and business executive who has served as the 23rd secretary of national defense under President Bongbong Marcos since 2023. He served in the same post from 2007 to 2009 under President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. He was the nominee of Arroyo's Lakas–Kampi in the 2010 presidential election, which he lost to his second cousin, Benigno Aquino III. Teodoro studied commerce at De La Salle University, then law at the University of the Philippines and Harvard Law School. He practiced law until he was elected as Representative of Tarlac's 1st district, serving from 1998 to 2007. Teodoro has been described as a technocrat. During his first stint as defense secretary, he was the chairman of the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) when Mega Manila was hit by Typhoon Ketsana (Ondoy).