(Photos by Jumalynne V. Doctolero/PIA-NCR)

QUEZON CITY, (PIA) -- In his attendance at the 87th Anniversary Commemoration of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), held at the Lapulapu Grandstand in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City, President Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos Jr. reiterates his marching order, which is to commit to the cause of peace.

“My marching guidance has always remained constant: we commit to the cause of peace. The security and stability of the country remains the priority. I call on you to continue performing your duties as you have had for many, many years and competently so, so that our country can achieve peace and security, and sustain economic prosperity,” the President said.

This is only achievable if the AFP would be a strong, credible, world-class armed forces, he added.

He then assured the AFP and all the uniformed services that his administration remains committed to the modernization of the AFP.

“Hindi lingid sa aking kaalaman ang sakripisyo ng ating hukbo at ang panganib na kanilang hinaharap sa tawag ng tungkulin. Kaya naman bukod sa kagamitan, patuloy nating susuportahan ang kanilang pangangailangan (The sacrifice of our army and the danger that comes with the call of duty is not unknown to me. That's why apart from the equipment, we will continue to support their needs),” the Commander-in-Chief added.

For his part, Lt. Gen. Bartolome Bacarro, AFP’s Chief of Staff said that amidst the change and transformation of their organization, what has remained constant is their singular drive and determination to protect the people and to secure the state.

Moreover, Lt. Gen. Bacarro highlighted in his message the milestone of the AFP in securing lasting peace in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao and the success of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) in effectively addressing the root causes of the 50-plus years of deceit, lies, and atrocities committed by the communists’ terrorist groups (CTG).