MILITARY personnel accused of espionage should be tried by a general court martial and not a civilian court, Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro said.
Teodoro made the suggestion during a Senate briefing on the planned amendment of the Espionage Act of 1941.
‘I think if it is a military individual having possessed military secrets, it is best tried under a general court martial to prevent further leakage of classified information to unauthorized people,’ Teodoro said.
In 2024, Teodoro first called for the amendment of the espionage law to make the measure applicable during times of peace amid reports of alleged Chinese spies in the country.
‘Ang mahalaga ngayon parusahan natin ang espionage sa panahon ng peace kasi ang espionage law sa Pilipinas ay epektibo lamang during times of war,’ Teodoro earlier said.
This is a call to action, our lawmakers know that they should amend the espionage law soonest so that the government can impose punishment and act to suppress it, Teodoro added.