CAMP AQUINO, Tarlac City, March 4, 2011-Defense Secretary Voltaire T. Gazmin, who is a member of the Philippine Military Academy class of 1968 lauded the operational accomplishments of the Northern Luzon Command (NOLCOM) headed by the Commander Lieutenant General Gaudencio S. Pangilinan during his visit here yesterday where he was hoping that the situation in Northern and Central Luzon will continue to improve up to the point that all of the command areas of responsibility are insurgency free.
Gazmin was optimistic that by the year 2016, the AFP can already focus on territorial defense where he urged everyone to continue to cooperate and do their part to ensure that the AFP’s Internal Peace and Security Plan (Bayanihan) as implemented by NOLCOM Campaign Plan (Ugnayan) will succeed.
He added that insurgency is everybody’s problem; thus, the roles of individual are needed to win and become free on insurgency where he brought good news to NOLCOM AFP about the increase in combat pay of soldiers who are actually involved in combat duty from P240 to P500, availability of low-cost housing units for 20,000 soldiers this year and scholarship program which were the ideas of the President.
In the controversies generated by investigations in congress, Gazmin said that the government welcomes all these developments because everybody were able to see the bad practices before and noted that such malpractices are no longer happening now.
Gazmin added that various reforms have been instituted where he organized a committee to look into the anomalous transactions previously and the review of the reforms that have been instituted, explaining that the committee has to finish their report until March 14 and submit the names of people involved to proper authorities so that justice can be delivered.
“We must adhere to the policies of transparency and accountability of President Aquino,” he ended.
Meanwhile, the new AFP chief of staff is set to be announced by President Aquino at the commencement exercises of Philippine Military Academy (PMA) class 2011 in Baguio City. AFP chief of staff General Ricardo David Jr. will be retiring on March 8 where eleven among the unnamed three-star generals are recommended to his post.
The AFP soldiers are waiting among the generals who will be the most revered and respected generals in the military circle professionalism that will lead them in serving the country. (Jason de Asis)
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