PGMA's Speech during the 70th Foundation Anniversary of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and Oath Taking of the Newly-appointed Generals and Flag Officers |
Tejeros Hall, AFP Commissioned Officers' Country Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City (December 21, 2005) |
| Thank you, Secretary Cruz for
your introduction. And congratulations! On your very, very successful and triumphant
official trip to Washington. His Excellency President Ramos; Senator Biazon and the other former chiefs-of-staff of the armed forces; our honorable representatives: Congressman Gidaya and Congressman Solis; Bishop Tumulak; General Senga and the major service commanders; members of the diplomatic corps; other officials of the Philippine Government including General Lomibao and the members of the Philippine National Police; officers, men and women of the Armed Forces of the Philippines; ladies and gentlemen. Let me begin by saluting the entire command under General Senga and the rest of the officers including the newly sworn-in head of the Philippine army, the major generals and the brigadier generals, and all our soldiers. Today, we celebrate 70 proud years of gallantry. On this day, in behalf of the Filipino people, I thank you. I thank you for your faithfulness to the constitution, the rule of law and the chain of command. I thank you, we the Filipino people thank you for your victories in the battlefield and in the hearts and minds of our people. Because you have successfully held the ceasefire and consolidated the communities in the sites of your great battles in Mindanao like Abu Bakar, Buliok, Munay, our peace talks with the MILF moves forward on a clear road map to settlement, and growth in Mindanao has multiplied by leaps and bounds. Thank you for your contribution to peace and development in Mindanao. Thank you for your invaluable role in the rescue and relief operations in the provinces reeling from incessant floodings and rains. I was with some of your officers and soldiers in Palawan yesterday, and I heard their valiant tales of rescue using your helicopters and other air and water craft. But we could see that not enough relief goods reach affected barangays like barangay Sta. Maria of Dumaran that we visited yesterday and that no produce is making it to many public markets in Mindoro. I take this opportunity therefore to call upon national agencies and local government units to work closely with the national disaster coordinating council to step up efforts on the ground. As with other calamities, while there are many donations, donations would have no other delivery option except through government facilities. I'm hereby instructing the armed forces to conduct massive air drops of relief goods that cannot be reached by land. You inspired unity and hope in our people not only through your heroism in times of calamity, not only through your spectacular victories in the battleground but also through your victories in playing fields. A special thanks therefore to the 143 military athletes in the Southeast Asian Games who contributed 82 of the 291 medals we won, congratulations! Congratulations! Also to today's awardees for the durable qualities you exemplify especially boldness and devotion to duty. Congratulations! To the entire AFP for being able to accomplish much despite resource limitations and for having hastened the transformation of our soldiers into true professionals. Thank you for your loyalty to the chain of command, to the flag and the commander-in-chief amidst the turbulence caused by our degenerated political system. Thank you for pressing on with our anti-insurgency campaign. Congratulations! For complying with the instructions I gave a few years ago to draft new military doctrines to make the AFP more responsive to modern times. And congratulations! Too for commencing to comply with the directive I gave last year to implement the Philippine defense reforms in line with the Philippine-U.S. joint defense assessment and the Feliciano report. As a result of all these compliance, the AFP is cleaner, leaner and meaner and more prepared to face the enemy, congratulations! Your commander-in-chief is determined to lift the morale and welfare of the men and women in uniform. And during my first years as president, my first effort for you was with the help of the senate and the house of representatives to increase your pay equivalent to the teachers' pay. On this your 70th year, my thrust is to launch... Has been to launch a massive housing program for our soldiers and junior officers. I want our soldiers to share in whatever benefits the people receive from our economic reforms because these benefits are the concrete and real meaning of our good economic indicators. For instance, when Bloomberg television says, "That Philippine bond prices are up and have been the heaviest mover in the year 2005 in the bond market." What it means is that we are paying less in debt service and we can afford to spend more on housing for the people and I want the soldiers to feel that. When we have our savings on debt service, when we have revenues higher than targeted, it also means that by January 2nd we can release the entire 5 billion pesos of the Philippine defense reform program funds for 2006. I gave this instruction to Secretary of the Budget Neri this morning before I came here. This is part of the 35 billion-peso multi-agency fund that will pump prime the economy for near-term gains for the poor in the areas of public works, housing, food, health and education including of course, the housing, food, health and education of our soldiers' families. I want the armed forces to march with the people in our journey to join the first world within 20 years. As we celebrate the 70th year of the armed forces, let us observe the true spirit of Christmas in togetherness despite the challenges. And let us face a bright new year ahead and a bright next 70 years ahead with renewed hope and strength. Maligayang pasko at manigong bagong taon sa inyong lahat! |