New Army chief says soldiers should be skilled beyond ‘tools of violence’
MANILA, Philippines – Lieutenant General Roy Galido, the new Philippine Army chief, said that one of his priorities in his new role is to skill soldiers beyond “tools of violence.”
“Let us produce soldiers who are not just skilled in tools of violence and managing violent environments, but soldiers who can also be future civil servants and skilled workers so that they will not be prey to soldiers of fortune syndrome,” he said during the Philippine Army’s change of command ceremony in Taguig City on Monday, August 7.
Galido took the helm of the Philippine Army from General Romeo Brawner Jr., who was recently appointed Armed Forces of the Philippines chief of staff.
“Most importantly, the best moral boosting activity that we will give our personnel is to make sure the family is happy,” Galido added.
Galido knows the cost of violence as he lost his brother, who was also a soldier, in an armed encounter in 1990.
“I don’t want the soldiers to experience what I experienced in 1990 when my brother went home,” the new Army chief said.
“I will not fail you,” Galido told President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who attended Monday’s change of command ceremony.
The President in his speech commended the “good work” Galido put in in his previous role as head of the Western Mindanao Command. Galido belongs to the “Bigkis Lahi” Class of 1990 and spent the bulk of his career in Mindanao.
“I look forward to working with you further and I am confident that you will guide the Army to reach more milestones in our campaign to end in our country the insurgency and [terrorism] threat, as well as to address the lingering and emerging threats to…our national security,” Marcos said.
During his speech, Galido also mentioned the importance of the mental well-being of soldiers, echoing the priorities of Brawner, who said that aside from enhancing defense and combat capabilities, “we shall look after the welfare and make sure their [soldiers] families are well taken care of.”
Brawner also pushed for better mental health programs for soldiers when he was Army chief. – Rappler.com