While counterinsurgency operations have changed in time these strategies are all patterned after the US ‘whole-of-nation’ approach of transforming the entire bureaucracy's civilian institutions and elements into weapons of counterrevolutionary war. Because attempts to defeat the revolutionary movement failed, they have intentionally targeted activists and democratic organizations as ‘terrorists’ and make no distinction between armed combatants and civilians.
Appointing cabinet members into key positions within the NTF-Elcac draws disturbing yet unsurprising parallels to the Marcos fascist dictatorship, wherein the civilian bureaucracy was instrumentalized to serve the interests of then ruling Marcos clique, leading to its eventual downfall.
On the US-Marcos regime’s weaponization of the civilian bureaucracy
Decades-long member of the CPP (Communist Party of the Philippines); https://codeberg.org/Julian_Segovia