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UPLB Chancellor hails soldiers for responding during crisis

<p>University of the Philippines Los Baños Chancellor Fernando Sanchez Jr.</p>

University of the Philippines Los Baños Chancellor Fernando Sanchez Jr.

CAMP CAPINPIN, Tanay, Rizal – Chancellor Fernando Sanchez Jr. of the University of the Philippines Los Baños lauded the soldiers of the 2nd Infantry Division for their readiness in times of crisis.

In a speech given in the graduation ceremony of 179 new soldiers here on June 29, Sanchez thanked the soldiers who were “instrumental in our effort to reunite our stranded students with their families when ECQ (enhanced community quarantine) was implemented to contain the spread of Covid-19.”

He highlighted the parallelism in the missions of UPLB and the Philippine Army, noting that “the loyalty of the soldiers must be to the people whose safety and interest we are both mandated to uphold.”

“As new soldiers of the nation, you represent the next generation of the Army as an institution, which is an important pillar in safeguarding democracy in the Philippines,” he said.

He also urged them to “study and engage with the complex and interrelated issues of Philippine society.”

He expressed confidence that “your training has well-equipped you with the knowledge and skills that you need to perform your duties with honor, excellence, and compassion.”

The activity’s highlight was the “Symbolic Entrustment of Firearms” which, according to the military, signifies the people’s trust in the soldiers’ readiness and ability to accomplish their mission to serve the people and secure the Filipinos’ homeland.

Lt. Col. Jose del Rosario, the commandant of the 2nd Division Training School, said the training went as scheduled despite the pandemic “because we cannot afford to put the security of our people on hold.”

He said the “adjustments and innovations were introduced to make sure that the school complied with health protocols without sacrificing the quality of our new soldiers.”

“After 18 weeks, 179 men emerged from the 190 boys who volunteered to serve our country and people through the noble profession of arms” del Rosario said.

“This batch received an excellent rating of 95 percent from the Philippine Army’s Quality Assurance Team which evaluated their core competencies of marksmanship and land navigation,” he added.

Earlier, the 2DTS has been recognized as the best Army training school across the country in 2019.

Maj. Gen. Arnulfo Marcelo Burgos Jr., commander of the Philippine Army’s 2nd Infantry Division which covers Southern Tagalog, hailed the training committee for the “excellent job that you have done in transforming these privates to the responsible soldiers that they are today from the happy-go-lucky teenagers that they were when they reported for duty on Feb 25.”

He said the advent of Covid-19 allowed them to develop a new breed of soldiers who are “more exposed, aware and in touch with the realities of the world outside the confines of their training grounds.”

Burgos assured the public that the new soldiers have been “equipped with the wits, skills, and valor of a true Jungle Fighter and are now ready to live up to the 2nd Infantry Division’s mandate as advocates of peace, servants of the people and defenders of Southern Tagalog.”

He said despite the risks of military service, they should be “comforted with the fact that they are putting their lives on the line for the noblest of causes, they are putting their lives on the line beside the best brothers-in-arms.”

The new soldiers will be deployed with 2ID frontline units and will see action across Calabarzon, Mimaro provinces, Davao, Zamboanga, Basilan, and Sulu. (PR)

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