At a time when the military is hounded by criticisms due to its campaigns against the enemies of the State, newly-designated Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Chief-of-Staff Lt. Gen. Cirilito Sobejana has emphasized the need to restore the public's trust to the military through transparent and effective service to the people.
Sobejana, who officially took command of the 180,000-strong AFP on Thursday afternoon, February 4, said the military will be committed to respect human rights and the rule of law while seeking to put an end to the local armed conflict.
"Peace is a collaborative project. It requires the commitment, dedication and support of everybody – the military, the civil government and the people as a whole," he said in his assumption speech.
"Rest assured that your soldiers, airmen, sailors and marines of the AFP will do their job following the rule of law, give due respect to human rights, and strictly adhere to provisions of the International Humanitarian Law," he added.
Sobejana, a recipient of the Medal of Valor or the highest military award for combat, replaced now retired General Gilbert Gapay and came in at a time that the AFP was faced by accusations of red-tagging individuals and organizations that are critical of the government.
Over two weeks ago, the Department of National Defense (DND) terminated a three-decade-old accord with the University of the Philippines (UP) which prohibited state forces from entering its campuses without prior coordination.
Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana had said that UP has already became a "haven" of communist recruiters.
Two generals, the AFP's top intelligence and civil-military operations officers, were also sacked from their posts after the military published on social media an erroneous list of UP alumni who were allegedly recruited by the New People's Army (NPA).
While the blunder is yet to be resolved amid an on-going investigation, Sobejana vowed that the military's campaign against insurgency will be more precise under his leadership to avoid mistakes that could erode the public's trust to them.
"We will exercise due diligence. We will be very deliberate. As what I have said, we were able to throw lessons from that experience," Sobejana said.
"We follow the rule of law. We give due respect to human rights. Since we are in the profession of arms, we have to adhere to the provisions of the International Humanitarian Law. The reason is to serve the poeple and secure the land. We will remain as that," he concluded.