The Armed Forces of the Philippines said Saturday it would hold a simple sendoff for its outgoing Commander in Chief, under whose leadership it had received the biggest boost in its capabilities.
AFP spokesperson Brig. Gen. Restituto Padilla said the military will hold a testimonial parade and review in honor of President Benigno Aquino III on the afternoon of June 27 to be attended by the top brass and other dignitaries at Camp Aguinaldo.
“However, in contrast to previous parades, there will be no Air Force fly-by during this testimonial for the Commander in Chief,” Padilla said in a statement.
“The toned down ceremonies are in keeping with the desire of the outgoing Commander in Chief to keep the ceremonies as simple as possible without sacrificing the necessary military protocols, customs and traditions entailed by the activity,” he said.
‘Best admin so far’
The ceremony will serve as an “expression of gratitude” for Mr. Aquino, Padilla said.
“The AFP capability build-up under the outgoing administration has been the best so far for the AFP and greatly exceeds the support provided by the last three administrations combined,” he added.
President Aquino, at the Philippine Navy’s 118th anniversary in June, noted that his administration had released a total of P60.14 billion for the military modernization in the past six years, topping that spent by the past three administrations.
During that event, Aquino oversaw the commissioning of the BRP Tarlac, the Navy’s first sealift vessel and the first of two brand-new amphibious landing dock vessels bought for P1.9 billion each.
They joined two Hamilton-class Navy cutters acquired from the United States that now patrol our territorial waters.
New rifles for Army
Three months earlier, Army officials cited the 56,840 new assault rifles they had received to replace “Vietnam war-era” weapons.
The Air Force received new air assets, procured by the government for a total of P27 billion since 2013, including the first two of 12 fighter jets—the first in 10 years since the retirement of the last of such aircraft in 2005.
Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle, meanwhile, praised Mr. Aquino for his accomplishments, but noted that “there is no perfect government” around the world.
“All administrations may have strived and worked hard but all administrations as well left things that still need to be addressed,” Tagle said in a post in the official Church news service CBCPNews. “That’s life.”
Tagle’s birthday guest
Aquino, who once locked horns with the Church over the reproductive health law, was among the guests at Tagle’s 59th birthday celebration on Tuesday.
Tagle said he hoped the next administration would “also strive” to address the country’s ills, even as President-elect Rodrigo Duterte had earlier blasted Church leaders as hypocrites.