Gilberto Teodoro

Gilberto Eduardo Gerardo Cojuangco Teodoro Jr. (born June 14, 1964), nicknamed Gilbert or Gibo, is a Filipino lawyer, politician and business executive who is the incumbent Secretary of National Defense under the Marcos Jr. administration since 2023. He previously 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, Noynoy Aquino. Teodoro studied commerce at De La Salle University, and law at the University of the Philippines, where he graduated top of his class and went on to top the 1989 Bar exams. He then earned his Master of Laws degree from 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 time as defense secretary, he was known for his efforts as the chairman of the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) when Mega Manila was hit by Typhoon Ketsana (Ondoy). Educational background Teodoro finished elementary in 1977 and high school in 1981 at Xavier School, and obtained his undergraduate degree in commerce major in Financial Institutions from De La Salle University in 1984. He then studied law at the University of the Philippines College of Law from 1985 to 1989, and finished at the top of his class. He was also awarded the Dean's Medal for Academic Excellence. He topped the 1989 Philippine Bar Examinations with an 86.18% bar rating. In 1997, he obtained his Master of Laws degree from Harvard Law School of Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and he passed the State Bar of New York. He also completed his Doctor of Laws at what was then West Negros University in 2009.