Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro Jr. on Monday condemned the use of anti-personnel mines by communist insurgents in his visit to the Special Operations Command (SOCOM) of the Philippine Army at Fort Magsaysay.
“We do not employ unlawful tactics against the enemy, but they blatantly violate laws without regard for human life, for the Philippines, committing nothing but terrorism,” he said.
During the visit, Teodoro also relayed President Marcos’ directives supporting SOCOM’s development plan, stressing the importance of adapting lessons from other combat areas amid the rapidly shifting security environment.
He underscored the need to phase mission roles and align the command’s capabilities with the demands of national security.
“Our mission roles are expanding, but we are scaling back on areas that are not our core capabilities,” Teodoro said, while assuring that SOCOM will continue to assist the government in humanitarian and disaster response operations, particularly in remote areas.
The Defense Secretary reaffirmed SOCOM’s role in counterinsurgency and called on troops to prepare for emerging threats, highlighting the pace of technological change in warfare.
