“Sa tamang pamamahala, at tamang paglalaan ng pondo, naging makasaysayan ang modernisasyon ninyo. Yung ilang mga dating pinapangarap lang natin, tangan na natin ngayon. Ang maganda pa: Hindi lang kayo tumatanggap ng biyaya mula sa estado; sinusuklian ninyo ito ng karampatang serbisyo. Sa huli, naging virtuous cycle ito; nagtutulungan ang lahat, at sa dulo, Pilipino ang panalo,” Aquino said at the testimonial farewell to the military at Camp Aguinaldo on June 27.
Acting AFP chief Lt. Gen. Glorioso Miranda thanked Aquino for the much-needed upgrading of military equipment and firepower.
In early June, the Philippines commissioned BRP Tarlac, a brand new 123-meter-long strategic sealift vessel that is bigger than former US Coast Guard twin ships BRP Ramon Alcaraz and BRP Gregorio Del Pilar. It is the first of two Indonesian-built landing dock vessels acquired for nearly P4 billion. The ships are undergoing finishing touches and will eventually serve as a platform for command and control of naval operations.
BRP Tarlac was the latest delivery among the new acquisitions of the AFP under the modernization program. It was named after one of the provinces that fought for freedom from an earlier colonizer, Spain, in the 1800s, which happens to be the home province of President Aquino.
In his speech, Aquino praised the military for doing its job well despite the lack of resources.
For instance, he cited the Navy’s show of “seamanship” to resupply Marines stationed at the BRP Sierra Madre, the country’s unconventional naval detachment in the middle of the West Philippine Sea. “Ganitong tapang at paninindigan, diskarte at inobasyon ang di dapat mawala sa ating kaisipan,” he said.
“Di pwedeng maging de-kahon, walang imahinasyon, at kapos sa inspirasyon ang pagtutupad ng ating tungkulin,” the President.
