Faustino says Marcos ordered not to surrender '' a single inch of the territory''
Department of National Defense (DND) Officer-in-Charge designate Jose Faustino Jr. said President-elect Ferdinand Marcos Jr. ordered him to make sure that "not a single square inch of the territory is surrendered."
" That is why we will do our best that all programs of the department will focus on protecting and defending the sovereignty of the country, to respect human rights and international humanitarian law, address the root causes of internal conflict, and make sure to implement the order of the President that "not a single square inch of the territory is surrendered," Faustino said in a message to defense reporters on Sunday night.
"While we are protecting our territory, as instructed by the President, we will continue to engage our regional neighbors," he added.
As the next head of the DND, Faustino ensures that the department will have a very good relationship with the other agencies.
" As the OIC of the Department of National Defense, I will be constantly aligning with the vision of the president of a stronger and better Philippines through nation-building, economic recovery, and most of all, national unity," he said.
"As the alter-ego of the President in the defense department, I will see to it that the DND will have a very good collaborative and consultative relationship with other government agencies. National security is synonymous to human security," he added.
Faustino said the DND will "also cater to our major concerns and security challenges, such as climate change and natural disasters, terrorism, support to law enforcement to address criminality and illegal drugs, cyber security, and of course continue the momentum of the campaign in ending the local communist armed conflict."
"We will likewise continuously support the successful programs of the peace agreement with the MILF ( Moro Islamic Liberation Front) and MNLF ( Moro National Liberation Front)," he said.
Faustino also ensured the smooth implementation of the modernization program of the Armed Forces of the Philippines which will be in the 3rd horizon from 2023 to 2028.
"We are now on the third horizon of the AFP modernization - building a more reliable and credible AFP in strengthening territorial or external defense capability. We will ensure the smooth implementation of the AFP modernization and will even enhance our capability in defending our territory," he said. Robina Asido/DMS
