Teodoro wants more PMAers in PCG, local drone makers amid WPS woes

Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. delivers a speech during the commemoration of the 127th Founding Anniversary of the Philippine Military Academy on Saturday, October 25, 2025. — Photo from PMA/Facebook

MANILA, Philippines — Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. has asked the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) to accept a number of cadets with the intention of commissioning them as officials of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), which often takes the lead in maritime operations in the West Philippine Sea.

Teodoro made the announcement over the weekend when he led the commemoration of the 127th Founding Anniversary of the PMA.

“I have instructed the Chief of Staff and Admiral Valencia to enter into the arrangements with the Philippine Coast Guard to accept a limited number of cadets that will, upon graduation, be commissioned as officers in the Philippine Coast Guard,” he said in his keynote speech on Saturday, referring to PMA Superintendent Vice Admiral Caesar Bernard Valencia.

Such reforms, Teodoro said, are part of the policy direction under the Comprehensive Archipelagic Defense Concept, which emerged amid territorial disputes.

“Interoperability is essential and knowledge of each other’s skills is sine qua non for seamless operations in the maritime domain,” he also said.

Teodoro, who also had a keynote speech in the navy’s first-ever drone summit in Zambales on Monday, also said there is now a need for a local manufacturing of unmanned systems.

READ: PH Navy hosts first-ever drone warfare summit in Subic Bay

“For an archipelagic country like the Philippines, where every island, waterway, and air corridor represents both opportunity and vulnerability, the responsible development and integration of unmanned systems is no longer optional, it is essential,” Teodoro said in his keynote speech at the Philippine Navy Drone Warfare Summit 2025.

“In times of crisis or conflict, dependence on foreign sources for critical defense equipment can limit our ability to act swiftly and independently,” he continued. “By investing in our own people, research institutions, and industries, we are also investing in our sovereignty.”

READ: PH, Ukraine in talks for defense cooperation pact

The country is scrambling to develop a manufacturing ecosystem for unmanned systems, a capability that proved to level the playing field for countries facing adversaries with superior military power.

Ukraine, whose drones are battle-tested, is working on a defense cooperation agreements with the Philippines, according to Yuliia Fediv, Kyiv’s ambassador to Manila.

Fediv said Ukrainian delegates are expected to attend the drone summit, which ends on October 29. /das