By Civ Alonzo-Cruz
The Armed Forces of the Philippines announced the cancellation of its usual program proper, the parade of ground troops and equipment, and the fly-by of air assets in solidarity with the victims of Typhoon Odette on Tuesday morning (Dec. 21) in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City.
In his program speech, AFP Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Andres Centino said that the move aims not to disrupt the military’s ongoing humanitarian assistance and disaster response operations in Visayas and Mindanao that suffered the onslaught of Typhoon Odette.
“In these challenging times, brought about by the devastation of Typhoon Odette and the persisting pandemic, we will forgo the AFP anniversary program, parade, and fly-by in solidarity and sympathy with our kababayans and not disrupt our ongoing humanitarian assistance and disaster response operations,” Centino said.
“Mag-celebrate na lang tayo by doing our jobs [in the field]. This is how we will honor our long history of service and tradition of sacrifice to the Filipino people,” he added.
Centino also lauded AFP members who are continuously helping with the disaster response and relief operations in Visayas and Mindanao and those who are manning COVID-19 facilities.
“Despite this, we will not be remiss in recognizing every soldier, sailor, airman, and marine who have put their lives on the line in the fulfillment of our mandate to protect the people and secure the state,” he said.
“Our snappiest salute goes to those who are in the countryside, those manning COVID-19 isolation and treatment facilities, and those who are involved in disaster response operations,”
“Let me express my deepest appreciation to the men and women of the AFP for all your hard work and sacrifices. As such, we must not be complacent with our highly commendable accomplishments so far. Let us sustain this momentum and uphold the highest standards of service and professionalism.” he added.
While the military may not be able to fully alleviate the suffering of affected families and individuals, Centino hoped that in this decision, they can “at least give them a sense of comfort and security” in these uncertain times and during the holiday season. -rir
