General Andres Centino, Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), met with personnel of the Northern Luzon Command (NOLCOM) stationed in Batanes on Thursday, June 29, to ensure the military’s support to them as the "guardians" of the country’s northernmost frontier.
*Gen. Andres Centino (middle), Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, strikes a pose at a sovereignty marker on Mavulis Island with officials of the AFP General Headquarters and Northern Luzon Command during his visit to Batanes on June 29, 2023. (Photo by AFP)
* Centino first visited a naval detachment at the Fisherman’s Shelter in the northernmost island of Mavulis where he led a flag-raising ceremony with the soldiers. He also went to another naval detachment in Itbayat town and the headquarters of the 10th Marine Company in the municipality of Basco. In a traditional “Talk to the Troops,” Centino expressed appreciation to the soldiers in the remote detachments as he promised them of an “increased support” from the General Headquarters. "I appreciate what you are doing for the country. It is because of you that we are able to monitor activities in this area and assert our sovereignty. I hope that you show the true heart of a military personnel in this difficult deployment," Centino said. "I do these visits alongside our most senior staff to personally assess the morale and welfare of our personnel and the condition of our facilities in these remote locations. Rest assured that we will continue to work towards further enabling you to perform your jobs better," he stressed. The military chief spent the night aboard BRP Tarlac (LD601) with senior officers of the General Headquarters and the NOLCOM. The NOLCOM is the AFP’s command which supervises military operations in the northern part of the country including the Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal or Bajo de Masinloc and the Benham Rise.