NSC slams NDFP over criticism of Zelenskyy visit

The National Security Council (NSC) on Friday slammed the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) over its accusations that the governments of the Philippines and Ukraine are “puppet regimes” of the United States.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy briefly visited Manila to invite President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to a peace summit that will be held in Switzerland this month. During their meeting on Monday, the two leaders discussed bilateral cooperation, particularly on Ukrainian agricultural exports to the Philippines.

Ukraine also asked Marcos to send Filipino mental health workers to Ukraine, which the Philippines said it could oblige.

In response, the NDFP claimed that Zelenskyy's recent visit to Malacañang ''is part of US imperialist war designs to portray Marcos Jr. as the new poster boy for its proxy war versus China.''

“By aligning Marcos Jr. as a parallel of Zelenskyy, the US is positioning the Philippines as a key player in its broader strategy to counter its imperialist rival, China,” the organization said.

''In similar fashion to the US-NATO proxy war in Ukraine, where the Zelenskyy puppet regime is pitted against Russia, the US seeks to use the puppet Marcos Jr. government to foment anti-China sentiments and hoodwink the Filipino people into thinking that the US will protect the Philippines in the event of an all-out war. In reality, the US only seeks war against China to secure its own hegemonic interests in the Asia Pacific.''

NSC Assistant Director General Jonathan Malaya came in defense of Marcos, saying “the President was merely advancing our national interest in the face of illegal, coercive, aggressive, and deceptive actions in the West Philippine Sea (WPS).”

“Under our constitution, the Philippines has renounced war as an instrument of national policy. War is not on the table. As expected, the NDF is engaged in war mongering and scare tactics,” said the NSC chief.

“The President has repeatedly said that his policy is anchored on the primacy of peace and diplomacy in international relations. We also appeal to the CPP-NPA-NDF to abandon its futile cause, turn away from its false and violent ideology, and return to the path of peace and reconciliation,” he added.

Malaya also said that ''as a peace-loving country, it is only natural for the President to welcome him (Zelenskyy).''

The Philippines has expressed its support for Ukraine's sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity, voting at the UN General Assembly to denounce Russia’s invasion and expressing “explicit condemnation” against “the use of force against the political independence and territorial integrity of any state.”

Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, in what its President Vladimir Putin claimed was a "special military operation" to "de-Nazify" the country.

Meanwhile, tensions between the Philippines and China have heightened in recent months as both sides trade accusations over a series of incidents in the WPS.

Zelenskyy earlier said that he saw similarities between his country’s conflict with Russia and the Philippines’ maritime dispute with China. —VBL, GMA Integrated News