DEFENSE Secretary Gilberto Teodoro, Jr. on Thursday, Oct. 30, met with his Malaysian counterpart, Dato’ Seri Mohamed Khaled bin Nordin, Malaysia’s Minister of Defense, ahead of the 19th ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting (ADMM) and the 12th ADMM-Plus in Kuala Lumpur.
The two defense chiefs discussed preparations for the Philippines’ ASEAN chairmanship in 2026 and the upcoming Trilateral Ministerial Meeting (TMM) among the Philippines, Malaysia, and Indonesia.
Teodoro thanked Khaled Nordin and the Malaysian government for the warm hospitality, reaffirming the Philippines’ commitment to advancing regional peace, stability, and cooperation through ASEAN and trilateral defense mechanisms.
“Both sides also recognized the importance of sustaining the Philippines–Malaysia defense partnership under the 1994 Memorandum of Understanding on Defense Cooperation, which serves as the foundation for ongoing bilateral activities, including training exchanges, maritime cooperation, and the Combined Committee on Defense Cooperation (CCDC).” Department of National Defense spokesman Arsenio Andolong said. Rex Espiritu
