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By Jefferson Antiporda, Reporter
NEWLY installed Armed Forces Chief of Staff
vowed to eliminate the enemies of the state and strengthen
soldiers’ commitment to abhor and renounce military adventurism.
General Alexander Yano formally assumed the AFP
headship, taking the place of Gen. Hermogenes Esperon Jr. who ended
his term as the military establishment’s chief during a turnover
ceremony in Camp Aguinaldo on Monday.
Yano said his priorities include strengthening
the soldiers’ commitment, abhorrence and renunciation of military
adventurism, and to shield the AFP organization from any overtures
of and involvement in partisan politics.
It is under Yano’s term that nine Magdalo
leaders were sentenced, serving as a reminder to soldiers that there
are proper avenues where they could air their grievances.
“This is the direction toward which I intend
to steer the Armed Forces, in response to your call for genuine
unity in the force. Through the emergence of Team-AFP, we will fully
achieve diversity and equity among members of this institution,”
Yano said in his speech.
The new AFP chief also ensured that the
timetable for dismantling communist guerrillas fronts are preserved
and followed by sustaining the gains that the AFP marked under
Esperon’s leadership.
Last month, the military reported that it
already dismantled a total of eight communist fronts during the
first quarter of the year, and is targeting to get rid of 22 more
for the entire 2008.
“We are daunted by the challenge of
duplicating your [Esperon’s] feat. But we shall respond with
courage and ensure that the timetable for dismantling communist
fronts is followed,” he added.
Yano also pledged his support to President
Gloria Arroyo, expressing confidence that with her leadership, the
government is winning the war against poverty.
“The AFP can create, enhance, and preserve the
atmosphere and environment needed to make it easier for the forces
of economic development to penetrate the areas in the country where
progress is most needed,” said Yano.
Although he admitted that AFP is not an agent of
such growth, Yano assured the President that the military wants to
help clear obstacles like terrorism and insurgency so that proper
agencies of development can do their job.
As for the Filipino people, Yano maintained that
the military remains focused on its mandate to uphold the
Constitution and stay loyal to the chain of command.
“We are created by the people of the
Philippines pursuant to the 1987 constitution. We cannot be less
than equal to the task,” the AFP chief added.
Yano is the 38th Chief of Staff of the AFP, and
the 9th to be appointed under the Arroyo administration.
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