Marcos hopes new Army chief will finally crush insurgency
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. leads the Philippine Army change of command ceremony at Fort Andres Bonifacio in Taguig City on Monday, Aug. 7, 2023. (Photo from the Philippine News Agency)
MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has expressed high hopes that new Philippine Army commanding general Lt. Gen. Roy Galido will end the insurgency and terrorism threat under his watch.
Galido was formally inducted as the new Army chief on Monday at a change of command ceremony in Taguig City, replacing Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr., who was named as the chief of staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines last month.
“As you take the reins of the Army, I wish to remind you that the success of an organization depends on our willingness to work persistently with the citizenry and with the civilian government,” the President said in his speech during the ceremony.
“I look forward to working with you further and I am confident that you will guide the Army to reach more milestones in our campaign to end in our country the insurgency and [terrorism] threat, as well as to address the lingering and emerging threats to our national security,” Marcos said.
“I have worked with you just for a short time, but in that little time I have seen you flourish in your command and I have seen the good work and the successes that have come from that good work that you have put in in your previous command,” he said.
Protect PH sovereignty
Marcos challenged the new Army chief to boost the organization’s engagements with counterparts and the interoperability and communications of the Army.
The President said he looks forward to hearing Galido’s plans to protect the country’s sovereignty and to transform the Army into a world-class military force and continue to be a source of the nation’s security, and peace and pride.
He also made an assurance that his administration is committed to supporting the troops by modernizing the Army as well as the rest of the AFP.
At the same time, the President reminded all Army officers and personnel “to strive toward building an Army that is agile, adaptable and competitive, works well together with its partners and stakeholders, and especially our citizens.”
“I know that the journey toward this vision will test the limits of your character, but with the supervision, dedication, and perseverance of Lt. Gen. Galido and the rest of our troops in the Philippine Army, I am confident that we can rightfully achieve this in no time at all,” he said.
The military’s campaign plan against insurgents has been gaining ground, according to the military statistics, with one remaining active guerrilla front nationwide and around 2,000 active members of the New People’s Army.
Galido, who will lead the military’s largest service branch with more than 100,000 forces, vowed to recalibrate the internal security operations and strengthen the organization for territorial defense “so we can be responsive, relevant amid the volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous security environment.”
‘I accept this responsibility’
“I will not fail you … I accept this responsibility with full loyalty and trust,” he said in his speech as he took the helm of the Army.
Galido served as commander of the Zamboanga City-based Western Mindanao Command from January to July 2023, overseeing military operations in the Zamboanga Peninsula, Northern Mindanao, and the Bangsamoro Autonomous Regions in Muslim Mindanao. He also headed the Army’s 6th Infantry “Kampilan” Division from August 2022 to January 2023.
The new Army chief is a member of the Philippine Military Academy’s Bigkis Lahi Class of 1990.
