President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. and AFP chief Lt. Gen. Bartolome Vicente Bacarro (PNA photo by Alfred Frias)
MANILA – The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) on Monday said its internal security operations are now closer to victory against "spoilers of peace and lawless elements".
"Internal security operations are of prime importance to ensure the safety and security of our citizens against spoilers of peace and lawless elements. On this front we can confidently state that we have achieved strategic victory and it is inching closer towards victory against terrorism," AFP chief Lt. Gen. Bartolome Vicente Bacarro said in his speech during the military's 87th founding anniversary celebration at Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City.
Bacarro also said the government's localized peace-building efforts with a multi-stakeholder and whole-of-nation approach also yielded positive results as it "encouraged enemies of the state" to return to the "fold of the law" and build goodwill with communities.
"Peace, (resilience) and progress are goals and aspirations that we in the Armed Forces strive to contribute and to achieve. This is apparent in the key milestones and victories that we have reached this year, particularly in decreasing the capability of the communist terrorist groups," he added.
Data from the AFP showed that out of 89 guerilla fronts in existence in 2016, only 24 are left with only five active to date.
Bacarro also thanked President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. for joining the AFP's 87th founding anniversary for the first time as its Commander-in-Chief.
"The AFP welcomes you today in the celebration of its 87th anniversary. We are deeply grateful to be spending time with you on this special day," he added.
Bacarro said the AFP accomplished "an inordinate amount of good work" this 2022 and that the year has been an "uncommonly good year for" the military.
"Soon Mr. President, we will unveil a new campaign plan, a plan that will assist in setting the stage for the attainment of a genuine unity, synergy and peace for our country. As we look forward to the dawn of the New Year, rest assured that we will remain hard at work operationally and strategically in sustaining our gains made these years," he said.
He added that the AFP is looking forward to many more years of serving under the guidance and leadership of President Marcos.
Bacarro also noted that 2022 has seen significant transitions and changes for the country and the AFP as this saw a peaceful transition of power in the country’s leadership brought about by the safe and peaceful conduct of the national and local elections last May.
Keen on reforms
He said he is fortunate to be given an opportunity to "contribute to this continuity of policies in our armed forces as the change in our legal institutional policy resulting from RA 11709".
Republic Act 11709, signed by then President Rodrigo R. Duterte, sets a fixed three-year tour of duty for the AFP chief, vice-chief-of-staff, deputy chief-of-staff, major service commanders, unified command commanders and inspector general unless terminated by the President.
"(This) will provide the impetus to further pursue our transformation initiatives in the name of public service for the benefit of our country and people," Bacarro said.
Amid the change and transformation, he said what remains constant is the military's singular drive and determination to protect the people and secure the state.
"Therefore the theme of our 87th anniversary celebration 'Kaisa ng Buong Sambayanan, Tungo Sa Mapayapa, Matatag at Maunlad na Pilipinas’ perfectly captures how we struggle for multiple goals in order to be a force for good in our country," he added.
Protecting sovereignty, boosting modernization
Aside from protecting the country and its people from internal threats, Bacarro said the AFP has always conducted "external security operations" to ensure that all of the Philippines are safe from "pressure and aggression from outside".
"We know that this is the cornerstone of sovereignty. The aerial and surface patrols that we have conducted this year and our efforts to establish littoral monitoring stations along more parts of our country attest to this," he added.
Bacarro reported that great strides have been made in the AFP Modernization Program through the acquisition of capable and state-of-the-art ground, air, sea assets.
He added that all of these are part of efforts to contribute to the achievement of a credible defense posture for the country.
International engagements
Bacarro, meanwhile, vowed to fortify the AFP's ties with other partner nations.
"We recognized our capacity to defend our country and believe we can do this with utmost commitment. However, in an interconnected world where security threats transcend borders, building bridges instead of burning them is very, very important. This is where our international defense and security engagement are instructive," he said.
In line with this, Bacarro conducted training, military exchanges and joint combined exercises to allow them to learn from international counterparts, have their voice heard on the global stage and conduct defense diplomacy.
"It was evident this year as we emerged from the pandemic and responded to the natural disasters and calamities that befell our country. We have probably demonstrated that there are no crisis that we are not able to address and that we are ready to extend our helping hand should disasters and calamities strike," Bacarro said.
He said all these achievements would not be possible if not for the dedication and commitment of Filipino soldiers. (PNA)
