Former Sen. Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. and Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio. (FILE PHOTO)
MANILA, Philippines — Hundreds of retired commissioned and noncommissioned officers from the military and the police have expressed support for the candidacies of presidential contender Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. and his running mate Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio.
According to a statement from Lakas-CMD on Saturday, two groups of retired officers and noncommissioned officers from the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police have separately issued manifestos of support for the Marcos-Duterte tandem.
“We firmly believe the UNITEAM tandem of Senator Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos and Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio will promote national unity, from the northern islands of Batanes, to the southernmost part of Tawi-Tawi,” read the manifesto signed by at least 486 retired senior officers.
“We laud the long-term plan of the UniTeam of Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong Marcos Jr. and Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio, which we believe will bring the Philippines back to its former glory,” the manifesto added.
Meanwhile, a group of noncommissioned personnel said they believed that only Marcos and Duterte-Carpio could continue the “whole of nation” approach in the government’s counterinsurgency and counterterrorism efforts.
“Only in Bongbong Marcos, who was also a soldier, and Sara Duterte, who is a reservist, can we be sure that the leadership in terms of maintaining security, peace, and progress will be effective, which the Filipino people have long been waiting for,” read a manifesto, written in Filipino and signed by at least 380 noncommissioned officers.
“Only in the UniTeam can we be assured that the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the national police will be taken care of. We believe they will uphold the welfare of soldiers and police officers and not the enemies of the state,” they added.
The two groups handed their statements of support to Marcos and Duterte-Carpio, who accepted them by inking their signatures, during a meeting at the office of the Arms Corporation of the Philippines in Marikina City, according to Lakas-CMD.
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