The Department of National Defense (DND) cited on Monday, June 12, the “selfless contributions” of Filipinos then and now to establish a free country that its citizens enjoy today.
Department of National Defense (DND) Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. (Courtesy of DND)
This was remarked by DND Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. as he joined the nation’s commemoration of the 125th anniversary of the Philippine Independence Day.
“We recognize the selfless contributions of Filipinos from the birth of our republic to our citizens today, in both winning our nation’s freedom and in continuing to build up on these victory in order to create a Philippines of our dreams and that we can all be proud of,” Teodoro said.
The defense chief then honored the soldiers and civilian workers in the DND for fulfilling their duties to serve the nation and defend the land.
“As the Secretary of National Defense, I express my most profound gratitude to our soldiers and to our civilian coworkers in the DND family who risk their lives for our sovereignty day in and day out. You continue to be the vanguards of peace and security, and the Filipino nation is truly grateful for your service,” he noted.
Teodoro also commended overseas Filipinos, who he describe as “modern day heroes,” for “ably representing” the Filipino brand of excellence across the globe.
Meanwhile, General Andres Centino, Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), encouraged the public to unite in order to uphold the country’s freedom, assuring that the military will take to heart their responsibility to protect the people and the nation.
“Tiyak ang ating tagumpay kung tayong lahat ay sama-sama at magtutulungan sa pagtahak sa landas tungo sa magandang kinabukasan (Our victory is assured if we all work together as we take on the path towars a better future),” Centino said.
No fly-by
Meanwhile, the fly-by of the Philippine Air Force’s (PAF) modern air assets was cancelled due to bad weather.
The fly-by was supposed to feature 26 aircraft including two A-29B Super Tucanos, one AH-1S Cobra attack helicopter, two Black Hawk helicopters, and two Agusta Westland (AW)-109 naval helicopters that would fly from aerial holding areas in Lipa, Batangas; Sangley Point, Cavite; and Clark, Pampanga to Rizal Park in Luneta where the main program for the celebration of Independence Day was held. It was graced by Pres. Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
“It is very dangerous if they would fly because they had no visual communication since there was no cloud clearing at the aerial holding areas,” Lt. Col. Enrico Gil Ileto, chief of AFP public affairs office, told the Manila Bulletin.
“This flight is not an operations flight or combat flight so there is higher consideration to safety because the aircraft will be flying in a populated area,” he explained.
Ileto clarified that the PAF can fly the aircraft even amid inclement weather during combat operations. However, he said flying over populated area during inclement weather in a non-combat operation compounds the risk that the aviators must take.
“This time, the risk outweighs the benefits of doing a fly-by over heavy populated area,” he said.
Nonetheless, the ground parade of the military’s assets pushed to the delight of the spectators.
The military-civic parade dubbed as “Parada ng Kalayaan” featured 34 motorized and mechanized assets including four ground-based air defense systems surface-to-air missiles, two Autonomous Truck-Mounted Howitzer Systems 155 mm self-propelled artillery, and 2,783 uniformed personnel from AFP, Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP), and Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP).