00:00President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. personally celebrated the 80th anniversary of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
00:08The theme of the celebration is the unity of the people towards a new Philippines.
00:13Here, the President assured continuous support to the armed forces as well as the modernization of their capabilities.
00:20President Marcos, Jr. also recognized the contribution of the AFP to various challenges and changes in the security landscape.
00:27Almost a decade ago, President Marcos, Jr. said that the Philippines' sovereignty is a strong weapon.
00:34However, the AFP did not know about the spreading open letter from the retired soldiers for the President
00:40who questioned the AFP modernization program in the 2025 national budget due to the lack of funds.
00:49The AFP trusts the President.
00:54As your commander-in-chief, I encourage you to remain true to the values that have guided this institution for 89 years.
01:03Uphold honor in the face of adversity.
01:07Lead with compassion, especially in times of crisis.
01:11Inspire with your humanity, for it is your very character that defines the armed forces.
01:18In fact, he was supposed to sign the budget into law today.
01:23But he didn't do it because he wanted to review it first.
01:27And if he needs to return the budget, he will do it.
01:32So, we have full trust in our system.
01:36It doesn't need to be a source of discontent or even concern.
01:42Of course, we are concerned about the budget, but we trust the system.
