Here’s what Defense Sec. Gilbert Teodoro has to say about the military’s role in the fascist Marcos dictatorship, as quoted in a GMANews.tv report:

[The atrocities] are made by men and there is nobody countenancing atrocities within and amongst the ranks of the Armed Forces of the Philippines so definitely, the institution should not apologize for the wrongdoings if ever of any of its members…

This is his response to queries from the media whether the Armed Forces of the Philippines ought to apologize to the nation for allowing itself to maintain and protect the Marcos dictatorship, for the generals and soldiers who abused, harassed, tortured, killed and abducted tens of thousands of citizens, and for allowing the military to be transformed into one private army for the conjugal dictatorship for fourteen years.

On Sept. 22, 1992, a US federal court found Marcos guilty of gross human rights violations and liable to pay damages to the victims. The fifteenth anniversary of this landmark verdict will be tomorrow!

The defense secretary is mistaken in his sentiment. The AFP has a moral and constitutional duty to the people, and if they renege on this, they must apologize to the people. An army that is not accountable to and does not respect the people, has no basis for existence.

Or is Teodoro simply saying indirectly that there’s no need for apologies because another conjugal dictatorship is in place and the military is only happy to serve it more than the people?