NEW Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief Gen. Antonio Nafarrete said his leadership will focus on fortifying the country’s territorial defense.
”The defense of the Philippine territory, sovereignty, sovereign rights and national interests shall remain our primary responsibility,” Nafarrete said in his speech during the change of command ceremony at Camp Aguinaldo. ”We seek peace, we support dialogue, we respect international law, but our desire for peace must always be supported by credible capability, sustained readiness and the resolve to defend what rightfully belongs to the Filipino people,” he added. Nafarrete said he would seek to strengthen the Philippines’ alliances and deepen engagements with strategic partners and like-minded nations who support the country’s defense priorities. ”We shall further expand our unilateral, bilateral and multilateral exercises and defense engagements as integral components of comprehensive archipelagic defense preparations guided by the country’s national interests,” he said. The AFP reported significant operational gains against communist and terrorist groups, including groups affiliated with the Islamic State that have significantly dwindled over the years, under the watch of Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr., Nafarrete’s predecessor. Brawner assured Nafarrete that he will inherit an armed forces that is “ready and capable of defending the nation.” Nafarrete said he will preserve and consolidate the gains achieved through the military’s internal security operations as well as continue supporting the implementation of peace agreements, the normalization process and the transformation of former conflict-affected communities. He vowed support for the continued modernization of the armed forces. Nafarrete said his first marching order from President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is to ensure a safe, orderly and successful Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) elections. ”The immediate order is we are preparing for the BARMM election, so that’s one of the very near major security operations in the first parliament election,” he told reporters in a brief interview after the change of command ceremony. The first BARMM elections were postponed several times after the Supreme Court struck down two Bangsamoro district laws as unconstitutional. The schedule was repeatedly pushed back from its original 2022 target to late 2025 and early 2026, and is now set for Sept. 14.
