Proposed Remarks of GENERAL JESSIE D DELLOSA AFP Chief of Staff, AFP Peace and Development Bayanihan Awards Night

18 December 2012

I.

Acknowledgements Allow me first to greet and congratulate the Office of

the Deputy Chief of Staff for Civil Military Operations, OJ7, under the leadership of Rear Admiral MIKE RODRIGUEZ AFP

The Civil Relations Service of the AFP under the command of MGEN ROLANDO B TENEFRANCIA AFP...

and the Public Affairs Office AFP, headed by COL ARNULFO MARCELO B BURGOS JR

for successfully organizing the 2012 Peace and Development

Bayanihan

Awards

Night

and

for

your

conscientious effort to come up with our deserving awardees for this year.

To everyone present here tonight, thank you so much for sharing your time with us in this monumental night, as we all witness the spirit of Bayanihan truly alive in our midst.

II.

Honoring the 2012 Bayanihan Awardees Of course, I would never miss the opportunity to

acknowledge our 2012 Peace and Development Bayanihan Awardees.

In the field of Music and Entertainment we have MS SARAH GERONIMO, who is the voice of our Bayanihan theme.

We also have MR CARLOS AGASSI whose music has inspired many Filipino people to build a culture of peace in the country.

BAI ROHANIZA SUMNAD-USMAN, Country Director of Asia America Initiative, for her series of peace-building programs, which created a venue for the Christians, Muslims and Indigenous Peoples to see peace as a way of life

 ATTY ADELINA B BANAVENTO-VILLENA of Palawan Council for Sustainable Development, whose legal support to the environmental thrust of the IPSP Bayanihan invaluably helped prosecute foreign nationals caught poaching in the Philippine waters

TEN MOVES of AYALA FOUNDATION INC. , the AFPs partner in the advocacy for quality education, in Palawan which has been made possible through their donations, particularly in the construction of interactive classrooms

PROFESSOR SARIPADA S TAMANO, for her efforts in bringing the AFP closer to the civil society organizations, local government units and other important local personalities. Her initiatives have molded a deep sense of commitment to uphold peace among the Lanaos multi-stakeholder community

LANAO DEL SUR PEOPLES COUNCIL for involving the military in every significant activity in Lanao such as electoral reform initiatives and covenant in the desire to end the lawlessness in the province

 DR. ROBERTO LICUP SR. of the Federation of Filipino-Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Inc. for his support in the Medical Missions conducted by the military units in Southern Luzon, and for his assistance in sourcing for donors for the construction of school facilities in various areas of the country

and to BANTAY-BAYANIHAN for its vigilance in keeping the AFPs standard of professionalism through the credible feedback mechanisms it provides. For this year, I am proud to say that we have one partner from the international community, the R.K. SHIMIZU

(NAGASAKI) FOUNDATION INC., whose contribution paved the way in the upgrading of the quality of education in Tarlac and Bataan through the construction of school facilities in the said area.

Finally, I would like to commend our awardees from the National Government and the LGUs.

We have here with us MS. LIZA MIGRIO QUIROG whose initiatives founded the Prosperity Teams of Bohol, which served as a catalyst to fuse the resources and capabilities of the military and civilian stakeholders in Bohol Island

GOVERNOR PAUL DAZA of Northern Samar, for enacting ordinances that provide financial assistance and support mechanism that would help rebel returnees as they reintegrate themselves in the mainstream society

GOVERNOR

ALFONSO

UMALI

JR of Oriental

Mindoro for his civil work, nutrition and environmental projects right in the heart of enemy-influenced communities; hence, establishing a strong message about the governments efforts for peace and development

GOVERNOR EUSTAQIO P BERSAMIN from the Province of Abra whose support to the IPSP Bayanihan resulted in the establishment of school buildings and sanitary and hygiene facilities in Abra

 MR ARCHILLES GERARDO C BRAVO, Director of DBM Region XI, whose leadership and guidance enabled the successful conduct of two (2) ARENA XI Serbisyo Caravans that created a big impact in the lives of 3,500 residents of conflict areas in Davao del Sur

DEPARTMENT Region

OF

SOCIAL

WELFARE

AND

DEVELOPMENT

XI through their Kalahi-CIDSS

programs and services which benefitted households in areas in Eastern Mindanao

and lastly, HONORABLE MABELLE VIRTUSIO, Board Member of 4th District of Batangas for cooperating with the 740th Combat Group, 710th Special Operations Wing of the Philippine Air Force in Batangas, thus providing our forces with support to their socio-economic development projects in the interior barangays of Batangas.

To all of you, my warm congratulations and thank you so much for the support and cooperation you have accorded us, the Armed Forces of the Philippines, in our pursuit of development and peace.
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I am delighted to note that for personalities and organizations like you, who already hold status of importance and influence in the country, you have remained vigilant, active and sensitive to the conditions of our society. Your advocacies and endeavors have cascaded into positive changes in your communities. This only bespeaks of your firm principles and integrity that are truly worthy of recognition and emulation of the Filipino people.

Because of these initiatives, your names resound as an inspiration and a testament of a true Filipinos strength and character. Hence, on our end as the architect and prime mover of the IPSP Bayanihan, please accept this recognition as our humblest and sincerest gesture of our gratitude.

Congratulations at mabuhay ang bawat isa sa inyo na kasama ng

AFP sa pakikibaka tungo sa kaunlaran at kapayapaan.

III.

Cultivating the Culture of Bayanihan Our Internal Peace and Security Plan Bayanihan is more

of a national campaign than just a military strategy. It calls

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for the entire Filipino society to take part in the achievement of the countrys peace and security.

It is our belief that everyone the military, government leaders, those in the private institutions, adult and youth, and every Filipino citizen share equal responsibilities in shaping our countrys state. We may come from various professions, we may hold different views and ideals, but we share one thing in common we are all Filipinos and we desire to enjoy sustainable peace and progress in our country. These are the very reasons why we are seeking the support of everyone, for only through Bayanihan can we find a true and lasting solution for our present national concerns.

We further believe that through the Bayanihan Awards, we give life to the Filipinos culture of unity, cooperation, respect and love of country. This is the second year that we have been giving this recognition, and it pleases me to note that many have surfaced as worthy candidates. We, also, have a diverse set of individuals and organizations in this years awardees. It only signifies that our whole-of-nation approach
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has taken momentum and is now significantly felt by Filipino society.

Apart from showcasing the nationalism and utmost compassion for our kababayans, which our awardees have demonstrated in their respective ways, the Bayanihan Awards was created to further promote that a considerable number of people have already responded to the AFPs call and invitation to join us in the IPSP Bayanihan.

IV.

A call to Bayanihan Convergence and collaboration that promote national

interest may require time and effort. Do not be daunted by the immense tasks, for this does not demand that we should go beyond our limits. Through our respective fields and our own talents, we can help this nation win the peace and move forward to progress and development. May it be through our music, interests and advocacies, we can help propagate the values of Bayanihan.

With this, I call for everyones support and commitment for peace and development efforts. All of these would bring greater benefits not just to our generation but more importantly to the generations to come. Let us join as one

Filipino people in taking great strides towards our dreams for this country.

V.

Closing remarks In closing, let me extend, once again, my warm

congratulations to all of our awardees. May you not waver in your support to the AFP, and may your good deeds bear more positive results.

Likewise, I congratulate all those who worked hard for the success of this event. OJ7, CRSAFP and AFP PAO,

congratulations and thank you very much.

To all, thank you and good evening.

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