MANILA, Philippines — House Deputy Minority leader and Rep. France Castro on Tuesday urged the newly appointed Defense chief Gilbert Teodoro to call for peace talks between the Philippine government and the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP).
Castro, who represents the ACT Teachers party list, said the proposal would allow the Department of National Defense (DND) to focus on external threats to the country.
“It would also be a novel and a good move if Sec. Teodoro would call for a resumption of the peace negotiations between the Government of the Republic of the Philippines and the National Democratic Front of the Philippines so that the armed forces could focus on foreign aggressors,” said Castro.
The representative also advised Teodoro to focus on territorial disputes with China in the West Philippine Sea.
“As of now, the Defense department should concentrate more on external aggression as the tensions in the West Philippine Sea and the Taiwan Strait continue to escalate due to Chinese actions,” said Castro.
Teodoro’s appointment was announced by Malacañang on Tuesday evening, together with the appointment of Teodoro Herbosa as the secretary of the Department of Health.
The new DND chief’s appointment arrives amid ongoing tensions in the West Philippine Sea. In April, President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. acknowledged that tensions in the disputed territories have not calmed down.
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