📷: IBON Foundation Executive Director Sonny Africa
Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro Jr.’s rejection of proposals to revive peace talks with the CPP-NPA-NDFP has drawn sharp criticism, with economist and IBON Foundation Executive Director Sonny Africa calling it “tough talk” that reveals the Marcos Jr. administration’s duplicity.
While the government lobbies for a seat on the UN Security Council with the pitch that the Philippines is “a voice for principled peace” and a “committed peacemaker,” Teodoro insists “the Filipinos are at peace” — a claim Africa says reflects “extreme privilege and disconnectedness from the daily realities of ordinary Filipinos.”
Africa quipped that Teodoro might as well rename his department the “Department of War,” noting that the DND’s biggest role has been to internalize and operationalize U.S. strategic imperatives.
The ongoing Balikatan 2026 war games, the largest and most expensive ever, send a clear signal: the Philippines will back U.S. military designs in East and Southeast Asia, just as Washington wages wars of aggression in West Asia.
“The macho talk and bluster shouldn’t distract us,” Africa warned, stressing that the DND’s posture subordinates national security and sovereignty to external powers. “It confirms who the biggest roadblock to peace is in our land — and it isn’t the CPP-NPA-NDFP.” # (ZIA LUNA)
