In a bid to strengthen the morale and improve the spiritual welfare of its personnel amid coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, at least 18,000 "special weapons" in the form of Bible were donated to the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) on Monday, Feb. 22.
The PCG said the 18,000 copies of pocket Bible came from The Gideons International (TGI), an organization that distributes copies of the Holy Book in an effort to spread the word of God worldwide.
The Coast Guard said the initiative was to strengthen spiritual welfare of the PCG frontliners amid COVID-19 pandemic.
During the turnover meeting, Deputy Commander of the Coast Guard Education, Training, and Doctrine Command (CGETDC) Commodore Eustacio Nimrod Enriquez Jr. underscored the importance of reading the Bible “towards realizing one's purpose and living up the ideals of genuine PCG — patriotism, compassion, and fear of God.”
Meanwhile, Commodore Adriano Munar AFP (Ret), head coordinator of TGI, encouraged all Coast Guard personnel to actively seek wisdom and strength from God, “to victoriously surpass challenges and temptations in service and life.”
The PCG is member of the Joint Task Force COVID Shield, the enforcement arm of the Inter-Agency Task Force on the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-MEID).
Thousands of Coast Guard personnel are currently deployed either to assist in the government's medical response against COVID-19, or to enforce the minimum health safety standard protocols.