The National Security Council (NSC) condemned Tuesday, April 29, Bayan Muna’s alleged “reckless and irresponsible” statements after the group opposed the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ (AFP) acquisition of the BrahMos missile system.

In a statement, NSC Strategic Communications Chief Asst. Director General Jonathan Malaya said Bayan Muna’s criticism of the P21-billion BrahMos deal “no longer seeks to defend Filipino interests but openly echo and amplify the official propaganda of the People’s Republic of China.”

“Let’s call a spade a spade: Bayan Muna is not advocating for the national interest, it is now speaking for Beijing,” he said.

Malaya was reacting to Bayan Muna Executive Vice President Carlos Zarate’s reported tirade against the AFP’s acquisition of the BrahMos missile system from India, claiming it is a “reckless venture that drags the country into a dangerous arms race in the already volatile Asia-Pacific region.”

According to reports, Zarate deemed the BrahMos acquisition as a “waste of public funds that should be spent on housing, jobs and social services”, a “warmongering at the people’s expense,” and “worsens tensions” as it “does not strengthen our security.”

Last week, Department of National Defense (DND) Sec. Gilberto Teodoro Jr. said the second of three batteries of the BrahMos missile had been transported to the Philippines by the BrahMos Aerospace, a joint venture between India's Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Russian rocket design bureau NPO Mashinostroyeniya.

Malaya said that to call the missile acquisitions “warmongering” and “waste” – just like the People’s Republic of China -- is to ignore the realities on the ground.

“Bayan Muna is practically demanding that we disarm in the face of mounting Chinese aggression in the West Philippine Sea. While Chinese ships swarm our waters, block our resupply missions, destroy our reefs, and harass our fisherfolk, Bayan Muna would have the Filipino people surrender our right to defend ourselves,” he said.

Malaya reminded Bayan Muna that the BrahMos missile procurement from India, and the planned acquisition of the US Typhon system, are both defensive, strategic, and calibrated responses to real and growing threats.

“These are not weapons of offensive war, they are tools of deterrence. These strengthen our defense posture to protect our shores, assert our sovereign rights, and uphold regional stability based on international law,” he stressed.