President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. has lamented how the previous administrations had supposedly failed to develop the military's capabilities as he vowed to provide soldiers with modern equipment. Marcos said this as he talked to the troops of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP)'s 9th Infantry Division at Camp Elias Angeles, San Jose in Pili, Camarines Sur. In his remarks on Thursday, March 16, the President said the Philippines has to have a sophisticated and well-trained military but lamented how the past governments had neglected the soldiers. "For a long while, hindi natin dini-develop ang capabilities ng ating mga military. Nagkukulang tayo sa equipment (we had not developed the military's capabilities. We lacked equipment)," he said. Despite this, President Marcos noted that Filipino soldiers were capable and well-prepared and vowed that his administration would work hard to support the troops. "Nagbago na lahat ‘yan (Things have changed)," he said. "We, in the civilian government, are determined to make sure that when we ask you to do your duty, that then you are fully prepared, you are fully trained, and you are complete in the equipment that you need to fulfill that mission," he added. According to the President, the military has not let the country down despite the tremendous challenges soldiers had to face. "I see that the actions here, the violent instances of encounters, et cetera, have slowly come down," Marcos said. "Looking at that, all I can say is that once again, I have always been a – I have always said that of all the sectors of society, it is only the military that has never let the Filipino [people] down," he added.