Former Army Commanding General Lt. Gen. Gilbert Gapay officially assumed as the new chief of staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), stressing he would prioritize the implementation of the new Anti-Terrorism law as his priority along with the operational effectiveness of the military.
Gapay succeeded Gen. Felimon Santos Jr. during a turnover ceremony at Camp Aguinaldo on Monday, which also marked the official retirement of Santos from the service. The event, which saw the absence of President Duterte, who is also the Commander in Chief, was presided by Defense Secretary Delfin N. Lorenzana.
“We have done well in our initiatives in the first semester of 2020 but that is not enough. We will continue our pursuit of operational effectiveness, organizational efficiency, personnel development and well-being and stakeholders’ collaboration,” said Gapay in his assumption speech.
“We will see to it that the implementation of Executive Order 70 and the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020 will remain our top priority to place a definite end to terrorism. There will be no let up as we continue to be at the forefront confronting all these threats,” the newly installed military chief assured.
Gapay said he would hit the ground running against all challenges confronting the military, “be it territorial integrity, terrorism, the wrath of nature or even infectious diseases,” adding the military will “not falter.”
Gapay’s assumption marked Santos’s exit from the military where he logged more than 38 years in service, and whose reign of the AFP was met with challenges.
Santos’s assumption as the top military chief was welcomed by the explosion of Taal Volcano on January 12. He was also the chief of staff when the military mobilized assets and personnel to assist in the evacuation of overseas Filipino workers in Middle East as relations between the US and Iran soured.
Two Navy ships, BRP Ramon Alcaraz and BRP Davao Del Sur, were sent to Oman to assist in the repatriation mission.
The military said that under Santos, the government sustained its gains in internal security operations, especially against the New People’s Army and local terrorist groups operating in Mindanao.
A total of 3,808 rebels and communist supporters were reported to have been neutralized from January 1 up to July 30 this year, including 134 that were killed and 150 others that were apprehended in operations.
At least 3,524 rebels, members of underground organization members and other supporters also surrendered.
A total of 885 high powered and low powered firearms, 313 homemade bombs and 164 encampments were also seized during the same period.
The military also neutralized a total of 88 Abu Sayyaf Group members, 37 of whom were killed while four were apprehended during operations.
Gapay assured the military will perform its constitutional duty of keeping the West Philippine Sea and will make sure it will not fall into the hands of other forces.
“While the lessons of the past always remind us that our purpose is winning over challenges to best serve our people, we will uphold our mandate to protect and secure our country against external and internal threats,” he said.
Rene Acosta