Gilberto Eduardo Gerardo "Gilbert"/"Gibo" Cojuangco Teodoro, Jr. (born June 14, 1964) is a former Secretary of National Defense of the Philippines, having assumed the post in August 2007 and resigning last November 15, 2009. From 1998 to 2007 he was a member of the House of Representatives, representing the First District of Tarlac province. In March 2009 he announced his intention to run for President of the Philippines in the May 2010 elections.
He was also known for his contributions to the people after Typhoon Ondoy hit the Philippines. During that time, he was still the Secretary of the DND or Department of National Defense (Philippines).
Education
Teodoro completed his grade school and high school education at Xavier School, an all-boys school run by the Society of Jesus, which is considered to be one of the most elite and selective private schools in the Philippines.
Teodoro attained a Bachelor's Degree in Commerce from De La Salle University in 1984. In 1989, he completed his law studies at the University of the Philippines, where he was awarded the Dean's Medal for Academic Excellence. In the same year, he topped the Philippine Bar exams.
For seven years, he honed his skills as a lawyer in the EP Mendoza Law firm. He went to the Harvard Law School in Cambridge, Massachusetts for his Master of Laws and completed it in 1997. He was also admitted to the State Bar of New York during the same year.
Political Career
Congressman
From 1998 to 2007 he was a House Representative for the First District of Tarlac province. He assumed the position of Assistant Majority Leader in the 11th Congress and head of the Nationalist People's Coalition House members. He was also a member of the House contingent to the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council.
Following his three terms in office—the maximum number allowed by the constitution—he was succeeded by his wife, Monica Prieto-Teodoro.
While being a member of Congress, he was part of the "Bright Boys" political clique, labeled by then president Joseph Estrada, as he thought they had a bright future in congress.
Secretary of National Defense
Teodoro was appointed Secretary of the Department of National Defense in August 2007 at the age of 43, the youngest person to ever hold the position.
source: wikipedia.org
