Youth group Samahan ng Progresibong Kabataan decried the recent saber-rattling of Gen. Romeo Brawner, AFP Chief-of-Staff, over recent tensions between Taiwan and China as a ploy to clamp down on civil rights and liberties in the country.
On Tuesday, April 1, Brawner told troops of the Northern Luzon Command to “start planning for actions in case there is an invasion of Taiwan” of which Filipinos will “inevitably” be involved.
According to SPARK National Spokesperson Althea Mateo, Brawner’s claims of “infiltration” and “political warfare” belied the intention of the military to repress anti-Marcos forces in the run-up to the contentious 2025 midterm elections. “Brawner’s comments are nothing but an attempt to use China in attacking the political opposition, both progressive or pro-Duterte,” Mateo asserted.
Mateo also noted the similarity of Brawner’s statements to those made by American defense secretary Pete Hegseth who recently visited Manila. She questioned: “Is Gen. Brawner speaking for Filipinos or playing as a little brown brother for Trump and the American Empire itching for a war halfway across the world?”
SPARK, together with the broader progressive movement, has continually contested the position of the Marcos administration in broadening the relationship between the Philippines, the United States, and its allies. The youth group emphasized that the Philippines is the only country in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) open to the expansion of American military presence in the region.
Mateo dismissed the rhetoric of Brawner and challenged the Marcos administration to make good on their supposed promise to maintain peace in Southeast Asia.
“Conflict will not be resolved by playing lapdog for the United States. A viable regional solution can only be achieved through cooperation with ASEAN in building regional frameworks of peace and self-restraint,” Mateo concluded.
