Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 11) — The military vowed to preserve and protect the nation as the country marks more than a century of independence from Spanish colonizers.
“From discounts, free rides and services, to donations that benefit our soldiers and their dependents; we have so much to be thankful for to the Filipino people,” Armed Forces chief Gen. Benjie Madrigal said in a statement on the eve of Independence Day.
Madrigal said the military will continue to protect the Filipino people and the nation.
“The Filipino soldier is always ready and willing to make sacrifices to protect the interests of the people. For many decades, thousands of soldiers have made the ultimate sacrifice to ensure that citizens have a peaceful and secure environment conducive to national development,” he said.
Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said that it’s up to the Filipino people as a whole, not just the military, to protect the nation.
He called on the Filipino people to support the government and assist in ending the communist rebellion.
“In the spirit of nationalism, I call on every Filipino to safeguard the freedom that our ancestors fought for; the very freedom we have sworn to protect. Let us rally behind our government to end local communist armed conflict to eradicate the flaw of a foreign ideology that has inflicted division in our Motherland for decades,” Lorenzana said in a separate statement.
“We may be a nation of scattered islands, but together, we stand as one,” he added.
