MANILA — Defense Secretary Gilbert "Gibo" Teodoro on Thursday said he is not keen on resuming peace talks with communist rebels, saying such a move was a "subversion of the democratic process."

Teodoro, who formally returned to the defense portfolio this week after being appointed by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Monday, said he has long shunned the idea of peace talks with the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and its armed wing, the New People's Army (NPA).

As defense chief, he said he would rather focus on strengthening the government's existing agencies dealing with the country's communist insurgency, such as the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) and the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity (OPAPRU).

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"Maraming gains ang NTF-ELCAC, kaya ngayon ay ang rehabilitation at ang patuloy na development upang bumalik loob sa common society itong mga dating nalihis ng landas," he told ABS-CBN TeleRadyo.

(The NTF-ELCAC has many gains. That's why we continue the government's rehabilitation and development programs to entice former rebels to return to common society.)

"Hindi naman ilegal na maniwala sa komunismo kung ito'y paniniwalang pulitikal. Ang ilegal ay sumusuporta, directly or indirectly, sa armadong pakikibaka to gain political power," he added.

(Adhering to communism as a political belief is not illegal. What is illegal is supporting the communist armed struggle, whether directly or indirectly, to gain political power.)

Asked about the involvement of other countries as mediators during the peace talks, Teodoro said such negotiations were internal and should only be conducted among Filipinos.

"Sa tingin ko, ang mga usaping panloob ng Pilipinas ay dapat sa Pilipino na... Kung i-me-mediate nila ay pulitikal na proseso na dapat Pilipino sa Pilipino, ako'y tutol po diyan," he said.

(I think the Philippines' internal affairs should be addressed only by Filipinos. I am against outside countries mediating political processes that should only involve Filipinos.)

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The progressive Makabayan bloc at the House of Representatives earlier said it was wary of Teodoro's return to the post, citing alleged human rights violations during his time as defense chief under the Arroyo administration.

Gabriela Rep. Arlene Brosas mentioned Teodoro's involvement in "Oplan Bantay Laya," former president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's anti-communist military initiatve, which she described as among the "bloodiest [and] most brutal counter-insurgency campaigns."

"Kaya nandiyan yung pangamba natin na ito na naman magkakaroon ng mga matitinding mga human rights violations sa ating bayan," Brosas earlier said.

(That's why we are concerned that human rights violations may be committed again.)

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Peace talks between the government and communist rebels have been inactive since 2019, when former president Rodrigo Duterte declared a "permanent termination" of the negotiations.

"I am no longer entertaining any interventions or persuasions in this democratic state of the Republic of the Philippines," Duterte had said in March 2019.