It is hardly unexpected that newly appointed Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro said that his agency will shift its focus from internal to external defense in reaction to Ferdinand Marcos Jr’s directive.

These pronouncements are nothing but a show of loyalty to US imperialism as the current Marcos regime drags the Filipino people into a war between two imperialist bullies whose interests are contrary to Philippine patrimony and economic sovereignty.

But the truth of the matter is, activists and revolutionaries remain the top targets of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).

The Marcos II regime has been abducting people left and right since it fraudulently placed itself in power. At least 96 people, four of whom are minors, have been fallen victim to summary killings perpetrated by state forces. In Negros, 20 farmers, ten hors de combat and two National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) Consultants have been mercilessly killed under Marcos Jr’s reign. This clearly demonstrates that the AFP are fascist pigs who are fighting a dirty war in the expense of the masses.

Recycling Gibo Teodoro as Defense Secretary will only make matters worse. We can still vividly remember his bloody stint as Secretary of Defense under Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. He led the brutal Oplan Bantay Laya II where the likes of butcher general Jovito Palparan were rewarded for their campaigns of suppression against the people that grossly violated human rights and international humanitarian law. As Arroyo’s alter ego covered with the cloak of impunity, he implemented intense militarization and alarming cases of extrajudicial killings, abductions, and harassment of activists and revolutionaries.

His bloody record under the fascist Arroyo regime is indicative of what is to come under the current Marcos regime. It is not surprising that he kowtows to the whims and wishes of the puppet Marcos Jr and their imperialist master, the US. After all, he is known as “Amboy,” an American boy, with his devotion to the Visiting Forces Agreement and the US-RP Balikatan exercises. His aversion to the GRP-NDFP peace talks is consistent with his proven track record of tyranny.

In the time of fascists and tyrants, and on the 125th year under US neocolonialism, it becomes ever clearer and obvious that we as a people must continue to tread the path of resistance.

The AFP must be severely punished for their incessant red-tagging, human rights violations against activists, fascist attacks on the Filipino people, and utter disregard of international humanitarian law.###