FILE PHOTO: Sen. Raffy Tulfo. (Voltaire F. Domingo/Senate PRIB)
MANILA, Philippines — Don’t make soldiers your errand boys, Senator Raffy Tulfo told the Department of National Defense (DND) on Tuesday.
While discussing the proposed budget of the DND next year, Tulfo stressed the importance of keeping the morale of the military high, noting how soldiers were supposedly asked to do certain errands for some generals.
“Let me remind you, guys, na kahit na gaano kaganda yung ating mga military hardware equipment, it is as good as the people behind them, yung mga taong nag o-operate noon sa dapat high-morale yun mga tauhan natin,” he said during the hearing of the Senate finance subcommittee.
(Let me remind you, guys, that no matter how good our military hardware equipment is, it is as good as the people behind them, the people that operate them, so we should keep the morale of our men high.)
“And having said that kasi may na observe ako, a couple of years ago, yun bang mga pupunta ka sa bahay ng mga heneral, ginagawang boy yung mga sundalo. Huwag naman po. And I know that for a fact, and you guys can’t deny that.”
(Because I observed a couple of years ago, when you go to a house of general, you see soldiers doing house chores for them. So let’s not do this. And I know that for a fact, and you guys can’t deny that.)
He argued that troops’ primary purpose was not to do errands for generals, but rather to protect and defend the nation and its citizens.
“Ang mga sundalo po trinain yan, nag invest yung ating gobyerno kung pano humawak ng baril, pano dumepensa para labanan yung mag enemy forces to defend our country, kung papano sila humawak ng maayos ng baril, hindi po para humawak ng walis,” he pointed out.
(Our government trained our soldiers how to use a gun and fight the enemies to defend our country. How to hold a gun, not how to wield the broom.)
“We should stop that practice, Secretary. Can you assure me? Ayoko na pong marinig yan, please? (I don’t want to hear that again, please?)” Tulfo said, addressing DND officer-in-charge Jose Faustino Jr.
Faustino, who was present in the hearing, vowed to comply with the request as he also promised to investigate the matter.