Before Congress At the age of 16, in 1980, Teodoro was elected as the Kabataang Barangay (KB) President in Tarlac. He served at the position until 1986. He went on to lead
Central Luzon. He became a member of the
Tarlac Provincial Board when his mother was the Tarlac representative in the National Assembly.
Congressman (1998–2007) 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 a member of the House contingent to the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council. Teodoro was a part of the "
Bright Boys" clique. He authored 106 bills during his time, Following his three terms in office—the maximum number allowed by the constitution — he was succeeded by his wife,
Monica Prieto-Teodoro.
Secretary of National Defense (2007–2009) and Defense Secretary Teodoro (right) at a press conference at
Camp Aguinaldo, June 1, 2009. Teodoro was appointed
secretary of national defense in August 2007 at the age of 43. He was the second youngest person to ever hold the position after
Ramon Magsaysay, who assumed the position a day after he turned 43.
Chairman of the National Disaster Coordinating Council While serving as the
Secretary of National Defense, Teodoro concurrently headed the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC), a temporary organization that supports the relief efforts being done by the local government in times of natural disasters. When
Typhoon Ketsana hit the country, Teodoro immediately issued an appeal for international aid through the
United Nations and organized relief operations in the affected areas given the limitations in resources and the scale of the disaster. Under the law (PD 1566), the NDCC's role as a temporary or
ad hoc committee is very limiting because it places the budget and primary responsibility during natural disasters on the hands of local government officials. For this reason, Teodoro expressed the desire for bills that seek to replace PD 1566 with a permanent Disaster Risk Reduction Council (DRRC) that will be given the right powers and resources to correct the weaknesses of the current law.
2010 presidential campaign in Manila. In March 2009, Teodoro announced his intention to run for
President of the Philippines in the May 2010 election. Months earlier, he quit his old party
Nationalist People's Coalition (NPC) to join the merged administration party
Lakas–Kampi and cast his name in the ruling party's contenders for the 2010 elections. In September 2009, voting 42–5 through secret balloting, the executive committee of Lakas-Kampi selected Teodoro as their party's presidential nominee for the May 2010 elections, edging out the other nominee,
MMDA Chairman
Bayani Fernando. The announcement was made by Lakas–Kampi Secretary General Gabriel Claudio after a deliberation that lasted for approximately an hour. Teodoro's
2010 campaign platform includes encouraging political growth in the provinces and improving healthcare and education. He stated that he would not interfere if Arroyo were to be charged at a later date. On November 20,
Gloria Macapagal Arroyo resigned her post as Chairman of Lakas–Kampi–CMD and handed over the post to Teodoro. Teodoro's campaign slogan was "Galing at Talino" (
capability and
competence). According to him, public service does not only entail integrity, but ability and competence as well because people are looking for clear plans and not just mere promises and most of all positive campaigning. During the campaign, he shunned from mudslinging and encouraged other Presidentiables to do away with smear campaigning because it breeds disunity among Filipinos. On May 11, 2010, a day after the elections were held, Teodoro conceded defeat to the leading presidential candidate, Senator
Noynoy Aquino of the Liberal Party, who is his second cousin. During a press conference he held at the Lakas Kampi CMD national headquarters in Metro Manila, Teodoro wished Aquino well and announced his decision to return to private life to take care of his family.
2022 senatorial campaign Prior to the
2016 presidential elections, Davao City Mayor
Rodrigo Duterte advised Senator
Miriam Defensor Santiago to make Teodoro her running mate for
vice president; in return, Duterte will support the tandem. However, Santiago chose Senator
Bongbong Marcos as her running mate. Duterte then ran for the presidency and won. In May 2016, Duterte offered Teodoro to return to his post as Secretary of National Defense but said that he would consult his family first on his final decision as to whether he would accept it. He was yet again offered by Duterte for the defense post on August 23, 2016. In June 2021, Teodoro expressed interest in running for vice president and becoming the running mate of
Sara Duterte, who was rumored to run for president in
2022. However, Duterte announced that she would instead continue her term as
mayor of Davao City; she would later withdraw her reelection bid to instead run for vice president. On October 7, 2021, Teodoro, through a proxy (he was in isolation after testing positive for
COVID-19 at that time), filed his certificate of candidacy for
senator under
People's Reform Party for the
2022 election. As a candidate, he expressed opposition to the reinstitution of the
death penalty, but "not for any moral reasons. I feel that it is acceptable but you must have the mechanism to guarantee a fair trial." He was named to the
UniTeam senatorial slate. However, his bid was unsuccessful, placing 15th out of the 12 seats up for election.
Secretary of National Defense (2023–present) at
Malacañang Palace, June 5, 2023. On June 5, 2023, Teodoro was reappointed as
secretary of national defense by President
Bongbong Marcos, whom the former succeeded undersecretary
Carlito Galvez Jr. in the position (of which Galvez served as Defense Secretary in an officer-in-charge capacity since January 9, 2023). at the
International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) during the 21st
Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, June 1, 2024. As defense secretary, Teodoro Jr. took a strong stance against Chinese incursions into Philippine waters. He described China encroaching in Philippine waters as akin to acting like illegal occupants, or "squatters" in Philippine colloquial terms. In October 2023, Teodoro, in a
Pilipinas Ngayon briefing, called the Chinese narrative of the Philippines being a "U.S. puppet" as "very insulting". In September 2024, Teodoro extended the stay of the Typhon midrange capability (MRC) missile in the country to protect the
South China Sea (West Philippine Sea). In November 2024, U.S. Defense Secretary
Lloyd Austin visited Manila and met with Teodoro. This was to review the bilateral cooperation between the Philippines and the United States. China's foreign ministry spokesperson
Lin Jian reacted to this visit saying that no military agreement "should target any third party" and "should exacerbate regional tensions". Teodoro was known for his heated exchange with Chinese diplomat
Mao Ning over the Taiwan issue in early 2024, accusing Mao of "gutter-level talk" and debasing the party she represents. This exchange signaled the Philippines' inability to balance its relations with China. at
Camp Aguinaldo, March 28, 2025.
Cristina Aldeguer-Roque (1st, right) and
National Security Adviser Eduardo Año (2nd, right) meets U.S. President
Donald Trump (left) at the
Roosevelt Room in the
White House in
Washington, D.C., July 22, 2025. In response to China's accusations to the Philippines, Teodoro claimed that it was China causing tension in the South China Sea not the Philippines. ==Business and writing career==