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FORMER
Tarlac congressman Gilbert Teodoro took his oath as
defense secretary on Tuesday, and promised to fulfill
President Arroyo’s expectations.
“I am
honored and humbled by the trust of the President, and I
promise to execute my duties to the best of my ability,”
Teodoro said after the Chief Executive swore him into
office in Malacañang.
Teodoro
said the President’s general instructions to him was to
continue the Armed Forces Modernization Plan and to
pursue the investigation of the Basilan incident, which
involved the beheading of 10 of 14 Marines killed during
an encounter with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front on
July 10.
Press
Secretary Ignacio Bunye said in a news briefing that
Teodoro is expected to carry out the Philippine defense
program especially as the administration has “gone a
long way toward implementing some of the reforms that
will benefit the ordinary soldiers.”
The
President also asked Teodoro to focus on the National
Disaster Coordinating Council, which the defense chief
chairs, to mitigate the impact of potential disasters
such as the extended dry spell being experienced in the
country.
“Even if
the rains are coming, we wish to deter future incidents
from happening again and we have to put in place our
capabilities to protect the civilian population to
service their needs,” Teodoro said.
Teodoro
is the third civilian to head the Department of National
Defense under the Arroyo administration, after former
senator Orlando Mercado, who was Arroyo’s first defense
secretary, and Avelino Cruz Jr.
He takes
over from Hermogenes Ebdane Jr., whom the President had
reappointed to the Department of Public Works and
Highways. |
