AFP at 85: CSAFP Anniversary Message

Eighty-five years of the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ sterling service attest to our persistence in upholding the security, and sovereignty of the Philippine State, and the safety of its people. The year 2020 has indeed been a turbulent one, challenging our very notion of security, yet still prompting us to be resolute in the performance of our sworn duties.

This year, when the country faced a global pandemic, disasters, and myriad threats to security and stability, we have seen the men and women in the profession of arms heed the call of humanitarianism and patriotism. Scores of military doctors, nurses, and medical auxiliary personnel were deployed in COVID-19 treatment and quarantine facilities nationwide, while our engineering brigades tirelessly helped in the construction of emergency quarantine facilities. Our forces were also in the frontlines, conducting humanitarian assistance and disaster response operations during the natural calamities that bookended the year – the eruption of Taal Volcano as the year began, and the five consecutive typhoons that tested the resolve of our countrymen close to the year’s end.

Apart from ably addressing challenges in the domain of non-traditional security, the AFP has also sustained the tempo in our territorial defense and internal security operations, had an invigorated drive to modernize our assets and professionalize our personnel, supported legislative measures aiming to strengthen and improve mechanisms on counter terrorism, cultivated meaningful and significant collaborations with stakeholders from various sectors of society, and enriched our cooperation with international counterparts and partners with the aim of contributing to regional and global development and security.

These accomplishments mark our 85th year, one that may very well be marked in history by an inordinate set of challenges. All of these considered, the indomitable spirit of the AFP remains motivated by unity of purpose and service to our fellow Filipinos, encapsulated in this year’s anniversary theme, “AFP@85: Pinag-isang Lakas na Maasahan ng Pilipino.” In times of hardship, our fellow Filipinos remain our greatest inspiration.

Mabuhay ang Sandatahang Lakas ng Pilipinas!