President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. urged the Philippine Army (PA) to be agile, adaptable, and competitive to address lingering and emerging threats to national security.

Marcos said this as he led the Change-of-Command Ceremony for new PA Commanding General Lieutenant General Roy Galido at Fort Andres Bonifacio in Taguig City on Monday, Aug. 7.

In his speech, the President expressed confidence that, with Galido leading the PA, the group could achieve his vision in no time.

"I urge everyone towards building an Army that is agile, adaptable, and competitive, and works well with its partner stakeholders and especially our citizens," he said.

"I know that the journey towards this vision will test the limits of your character. But with the supervision, dedication, and perseverance of Lt. Galido and the rest of our troops in the Philippine Army, I am confident we can rightfully achieve this in no time at all," he added.

According to Marcos, he was looking forward to seeing Galido leading the Philippine Army, saying he saw how he flourished and succeeded as the commander of the Western Mindanao Command.

"I am confident you will guide the Army to reach more milestones in our campaign in our country to end insurgency and tourism threats, as well as to address the lingering and emerging threats to now our national security," he said.

The Commander-in-Chief challenged Galido to lead and boost the institution's engagement with foreign counterparts and the entire Philippine Army to enhance its interoperability and communications to learn best practices through joint training and exercises, which the government intends to expand further.

"I look forward to your plans to protect the shared identity that our past and present generations have built and to transform the army into a world-class force that is a source of our country's security and peace and pride," Marcos said.

Meanwhile, the President renewed his commitment to supporting and modernizing the country's armed forces.

"Hand-in-hand, we will work together to heighten the internal and external security of the Philippines to create a more conducive environment for conducive growth and empowerment," Marcos said.

Galido takes the helm as the 66th commanding general of the Philippine Army, succeeding Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr., who was recently named the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Chief of Staff.

Galido is a member of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) 'Bigkis Lahi' Class of 1990. He served as commander of the Western Mindanao Command that overseas military operations in the Zamboanga Peninsula, Northern Mindanao, and the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).