Twenty-nine boxes of “care packages” were donated by the University of the Philippines Cadet Alumni Organization (UPCAO) to the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) on Monday, May 30.
Col. Jorry Baclor, chief of AFP public affairs office, said the care packages will be sent to soldiers and schoolchildren in the Kalayaan Island Group fronting the West Philippine Sea (WPS) in Palawan.
Food supplies, drinking water, and toiletries will be brought to the troops stationed at KIG detachments while other goods such as milk, biscuits, and school supplies will be distributed to the children in the islands that compose the KIG.
Letters of gratitude and artworks from students of the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde in Manila will also be presented to the troops guarding the country’s territory in the disputed waters.
Brig. Gen. Gabriel Viray, AFP deputy chief of staff for civil military operations, received the donations in a ceremony at the UP Department of Military Science and Tactics in Diliman, Quezon City.
He expressed the AFP leadership's gratitude to the UPCAO and UP ROTC for sustaining the KIG Care Package Project and facilitating activities that foster stronger ties between the AFP and the Filipino people.
“This project serves as a testament to the Filipino people's solidarity with the AFP in protecting our sovereignty against the incursions of foreign entities into our maritime borders, air space, and exclusive economic zones," he said.
Cadet Lt. Col. Vienna Kaye Lagdaan, the Corps Commander of the UP Corps of Cadets, said the initiative sought to uplift the morale of the soldiers and serve as a reminder that they are “one with the AFP in protecting the country's territory.”
"This endeavor proves that no matter what sector you represent, as a student, as a public servant, or as a serviceman, you can be a channel of blessing to other people. I hope this brings inspiration to my fellow youth and the Filipino people to continually be passionate about volunteerism in any way possible," she said.
The UP partnered with different sponsors and donors who shared their resources and volunteers to organize the handover of care packages.
The UPCAO started sending care packages in 2013 for soldiers assigned in BRP Sierra Madre stationed at Ayungin Shoal and other detachments in the West Philippine Sea.
This was repeated in 2015, which included students of Pag-asa Island as beneficiaries.