League of Filipino Students (LFS) youth and Center for People Empowerment in Governance (CenPEG) academics criticized AFP Chief Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr for recently instructing Northern Luzon troops to “prepare” for a potential war in nearby Taiwan.

The day before, Brawner urged the AFP to “prepare” for the possibility of a “China invasion” of Taiwan. He said soldiers should already think that “the Philippines is at war.” Brawner overstepped his station following the US’s newest defense secretary Pete Hegseth’s visit to the Philippines on March 28-29. During this visit, Hegseth stated that the US would use Batanes as a “training ground” for its “special operations forces.”

CenPEG head Prof. Roland Simbulan said Brawner’s remarks endanger national security and the lives of Filipinos. The professor also noted that Brawner bypassed legislative processes and even the constitution by assuming that “the Philippines is already at war.”

“Brawner, don’t be too obvious with your puppetry to America. Just because you were thrown a few weapons and military aid, you’re now willing to fight a war for them?” LFS head Lloyd Manango said. “This is not our war.”

“Is Brawner following the constitution or the US Indo-Pacific Strategy?” he asked.

Manango said Congress should reprimand Brawner for his statements as only Congress can declare when the Philippines is at war. The youth also warned Brawner not to use OFWs in Taiwan as an excuse to provoke war.

CenPEG also called on Congress to exercise its oversight powers to demand AFP’s transparency regarding its commitments, especially those made with foreign troops. It emphasized the need for an independent foreign policy that “prioritizes diplomatic solutions, de-escalation, and regional cooperation over military entanglements.”

This independent policy would genuinely safeguard our national interests and Filipino people while upholding peace in the region.

In recent years, the US has conducted large-scale military activities in Batanes as part of Balikatan exercises to train both American and Filipino troops in defense scenarios as well as island invasions. American troops and their military vehicles, such as large helicopters and ships, have caused disturbances among residents living quietly on the islands of Batanes. In 2023, the US built a military facility on Mavulis, the northernmost island of Batanes closest to Taiwan.