Jay Tarriela@jaytaryela
Congressman Paolo Z. Duterte, your impassioned words carry the weight of a family legacy in public service—one that too often seeks to mislead Filipinos into believing that standing up against China’s bullying is wrong. The entire country knows your family’s side stays silent on every harassment in the West Philippine Sea.
In questioning the loyalty of our AFP Chief, Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr., and decrying "missiles with someone else’s fingerprints," you stoke unnecessary paranoia about our vital defense partnerships. Let us set the record straight: these alliances are not gambles with Filipino lives; they are calculated steps to safeguard our sovereignty against real and escalating threats. And while you lecture on corruption as the "true problem," perhaps it is time to confront the elephant in the room.
First, on corruption: You paint a picture of thieves in uniform and suits running rampant today, as if graft is a recent invention of this government. But history—and the courts—tell a different story. Corruption did not "start only now"; it peaked in depravity during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, when Filipinos were fighting for their lives and breath. Remember the Pharmally scandal? A little-known company called Pharmally Pharmaceutical Corporation secured an ₱11.5-billion contract to supply medical goods, despite having only ₱625,000 in paid-up capital. Based on the results of the Blue Ribbon Committee chaired by then Senator Dick Gordon, this company delivered substandard and overpriced PPE and supplies, robbing our frontliners and citizens of essentials when they needed them most. This was not just theft; it was betrayal, leaving hospitals bare and families destitute while the powerful profited.
Now, to the heart of your tirade: this so-called "paranoia" about U.S. intervention. Gen. Brawner did not "boast" about the U.S. Typhon mid-range missile system's deployment during joint exercises; he stated a fact—its range can reach China, enhancing our interoperability and deterrence in a volatile region. He emphasized that this is not aimed at any one nation but at upholding a free and open Indo-Pacific.
Your insinuations of CIA puppetry? That is not patriotism; that is deflection, bordering on the conspiratorial. It reeks of the same playbook that downplays China's gray-zone aggression: the water cannon attacks on our resupply missions, the blocking of our fishermen from Bajo De Masinloc, and the militarization of reefs that were once our shared commons. If anyone is gambling with Filipino lives, it is those who pretend these threats are imaginary while cozying up to Beijing. Your rhetoric is not about peace—it is an obvious defense of China, echoing the very regime that views our exclusive economic zone as its backyard.
We are not "trigger-happy" for another country, Congressman. Under President Marcos Jr., our defense posture is clear: We seek peace through strength and sovereignty through solidarity. The Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) and joint exercises with likeminded states are not about offering Filipinos as "collateral damage"; they are about ensuring we have the tools to respond if China turns bullying into escalatory aggression. China’s own generals face firing squads for corruption, you say? True enough. But here, we are building a professional force that answers to the Filipino people and our constitution, not a personality cult. Gen. Brawner serves the Republic, not foreign "bosses"—a far cry from the era when loyalty oaths were demanded in exchange for silence on scandals.
The Filipino people deserve better than this divisive noise. They need leaders who unite against external bullies and internal rot, not those who weaponize misleading narratives and pro-China lines to mislead and divide us. We want peace, security, and sovereignty too—but not the illusion of it, bought with denial and isolation.
Who are you really serving, sir?
