Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) Secretary Martin Andanar has lauded the 4th Infantry Division of the Philippine Army (4ID PA) for its commitment to facilitating peace and order in the regions of Northern Mindanao and Caraga.
Celebrating its 50th Founding Anniversary, the unit commemorated its past achievements and honored the selfless service of the men and women in the military on Saturday.
“The 4th ID PA is one of the most respected infantries in the Armed Forces of the Philippines,” Secretary Andanar said.
“It has never failed to rise to numerous occasions to save our region from terrorism, natural calamities and in keeping our communities and environment safe and a healthy place for nation-building,” he added.
The 4ID is one of the primary stakeholders in the local implementation of the policies under the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC).
Andanar, who is the designated Cabinet Officer for Regional Development and Security for Northern Mindanao (CORDS-10), also commended the leadership of 4ID commander, Maj. Gen. Franco Gacal.
“I commend the hard work and sacrifices of Maj. Gen. Franco Gacal, past commanding generals, their officers, and soldiers. Their patriotism has brought the 4th ID PA to its most admired golden year,” he said.
Department of National Defense (DND) Secretary Delfin Lorenzana also attended the celebration and congratulated the unit.
“I hope you will have more successes in the future and we will be successful in our campaign against insurgency,” Lorenzana said.
“We only have two years to do it. Para naman pag-alis ni President ay meron siyang maiwang legacy at masasabi niya na, during his time, he was able to reduce the insurgency (So that when the President ends his term, he can leave a legacy and he could say that, during his time, he was able to reduce the insurgency),” he added.
Lorenzana also expressed his support for President Rodrigo Duterte’s earlier warning of terminating the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) with the United States (US).
“Maybe we should start looking for militaries in the neighborhood that we can do our exercises [with],” he noted. (PR)
