AFP serves two foreign masters — PAMALAKAYA
Manila, Philippines — The militant fisherfolk group Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (PAMALAKAYA) on Friday denounced the Duterte administration and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) for securing a deal allowing Chinese-linked telecommunications firm to install its system, towers, and facilities within military bases in the country, amid China has encroached the national territories and plundered marine resources in the West Philippine Sea.
In a statement, PAMALAKAYA said the AFP is “standing its legacy as a mercenary and puppet armed forces that while it continues to receive military aid from the United States, it has accommodated a Chinese firm to operate within the supposedly secured military bases, thus, compromising any efforts to defend the West Philippine Sea from the encroachment of the Asian imperialist power.”
“We have never seen any morsel of patriotism and nationalism from the AFP since it was formed. They are gullible with refurbished foreign military junks while foreign aid directly shoots to the pockets of corrupt military generals,” Fernando Hicap, PAMALAKAYA National Chairperson said in a statement.
“Wala nang kahihiyan ang AFP, inutil na nga silang protektahan ang mga mangingisda sa West Philippine Sea, hahayaan pang makapasok ang China sa larangan ng ating komunikasyon, ito ay lantarang pagsuko at katrayduran,” he added.
The group added that instead of strengthening its defense capabilities against China, the AFP is pandering the nation’s local security affairs to the enemy amid its aggressive occupation of nearly the entire West Philippine Sea and harassment of Filipino fisherfolk.
“Siguradong mag-iimbita ito ng gulo dahil hindi ito hahayaan ng US, na matagal nang amo ng AFP. Kontra ito sa kanilang geo-political interest sa Asia-Pacific. Kung sakali, si Duterte, ang dapat singilin dahil ipinapahamak niya ang bansa sa mas matinding gitgitan ng dalawang imperyalistang bansa,” Hicap elaborated.
The fisherfolk group urged the Filipino people to deplore the plan of AFP and the Duterte government to allow China to meddle in one of our vital industries, which is communication. ###
