Vice President Sara Duterte on Monday, July 1, joined in greeting the Philippine Air Force’s (PAF) 77th founding anniversary, thanking them for their sacrifice and dedication.
Vice President Sara Duterte (Inday Sara Duterte/Facebook)
“Binabati ko ang lahat ng mga magigiting nating mga kawal ng Hukbong Himpapawid ng masaya at makabuluhang pagdiriwang ng inyong anibersaryo (I greet all the brave personnel of the Air Force a happy and meaningful celebration of your anniversary),” she wrote in a statement.
Duterte is a reserve officer in the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) with the rank of colonel.
The PAF, along with the Philippine Army (PA) and the Philippine Navy (PN), forms the three main branches of the AFP.
“Taos-puso kaming nagpapasalamat sa inyong 'di matatawarang sakripisyo at dedikasyon upang tapat na mapaglingkuran ang ating bayan (We wholeheartedly thank your sacrifice and dedication to serve our country),” she added.
On Monday, President Marcos led the PAF's 77th Founding Anniversary program at the Basa Air Base in Floridablanca, Pampanga, where the Air Force showcased it capability to retake territory taken by hostile forces, as well as to detect, track, and neutralize enemy aircraft.
Among the activities were airstrike missions, intelligence reconnaissance, and surveillance of the area using unmanned aerial vehicles.
The PAF also displayed the capabilities of its newly acquired Ground-Based Air Defense System (GBADS), also known as the Israeli-made Spyder mobile air defense system, which enables the Air Force to protect the country’s airspace from hostile aircraft.