AFP’s “DAGIT-PA” Exercises Deadly For The Filipino People

November 15, 2024

At the conclusion of the “DAGIT-PA” exercises, the International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines (ICHRP) raises alarm over the DAGIT-PA exercises’ impacts on the Filipino people.

DAGIT-PA, short for “dagat, langit, at lupa” or sea, sky, and land, took place from November 4 to 15 and involved over 3,000 troops from the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Special Operations. This year’s exercises, which gave focus to territorial defense, maritime security, and cyber defense, were held in Palawan and Northern Luzon. In addition to traditional military drills, the exercises included “information warfighting.” Civilian agencies, such as the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), also took part in the exercises.

The inclusion of civilian agencies in military exercises is questionable and alarming. These civilian agencies should focus on implementing the programs of their specific mandate rather than move into military drills. The DFA should be helping the immediate repatriation of distressed Overseas Filipino Workers, including those languishing in jails in different countries. The DSWD should increase, expand, and give immediate relief to the several millions of Filipinos devastated by the recent series of typhoons and other calamities affecting the country.

ICHRP is also greatly concerned about the Philippine military’s attention to “information warfighting.” The track record of the current Marcos Jr. and previous Duterte regimes, as well as that of the Philippine military itself, renders dubious the stories the military will peddle to the public, both in the Philippines and internationally.

While former President Duterte became known for his online “troll army,” current President Marcos Jr. has also garnered international notoriety for the disinformation campaign that was carried out during his election run, which sought to clean up his family’s image as massive human rights violators. Maj. Gen. Marvin Licudine, exercise director of the DAGIT-PA drills, said that the exercises also served as preparation for next year’s larger Balikatan exercises with US forces, which will unfortunately coincide with the midterm elections in the Philippines.

The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), meanwhile, have repeatedly twisted stories as part of their counterinsurgency operations. These include the promotion of thousands of cases of fake surrenderees, the planting of evidence on civilians targeted in military operations, and falsely alleging targets of military attacks as members of the CPP-NPA-NDF.

Brawner Jr. and the AFP may fashion themselves as patriots defending the territories of the Filipino people. But there is much to suggest that this claim is far from the truth. In fact, the results of this year’s International People’s Tribunal and the ongoing campaigning of the Filipino people have indicated that the AFP is guilty of widespread war crimes against the Filipino people. Thus, we must be wary of the information the AFP is sharing internationally about its supposed “warfighting.”

In this vein, ICHRP also dismisses the AFP’s claims that it will fully shift its focus to territorial defense in 2025. The AFP cannot speak of defending its territory while it carries out war against the Filipino people and commits war crimes. Whatever story or information the military puts out, exercises like DAGIT-PA remain deadly to the Filipino people, encouraging the intensification of the so-called counterinsurgency efforts victimizing the Filipino people.

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