FULL TEXT: Iriberri’s ‘Letter to the Filipino Soldier’

From the Philippine Daily Inquirer (Jul 10): FULL TEXT: Iriberri’s ‘Letter to the Filipino Soldier’

10 July 2016
My dear soldiers:

I could not answer the call of duty to be the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines without writing down my immense gratitude and deep appreciation for the untiring, selfless dedication that has become the hallmark of the Filipino soldier. Through the years as an officer on the field and in the frontlines, and in the last 17 months as your Commanding General of the Philippine Army, I have been humbled by your sacrifice and your commitment.

You take on the wind and the rain, the sun and the heat, without complaint or respite, as you go about your perilous duty. You leav your family for days even months on end, to secure the families in your assigned area of operation. You face threats and foes, be that of the barrel of the gun or the wrath of a supertyphoon, so that communities need not know fear nor worry. You are a teacher, builder, engineer, farmer, forester, protector, defender and most of all, a soldier.

Some of us have given the ultimate sacrifice, and we remember them every day, not only for their bravery, but for their humanity. And the rest of us take heart and gain strength from their courage and their patriotism. We are better because of their sacrifice, we are stronger for their service.

I have asked you often enough, as I visited your camp in the mountains or checked your newly assigned quarters, what you need to do a better job or what else your family needs. And most of the time, you answer with a smile, and say, “OK na po ako, Sir. Basta may naiaabot sa misis. Basta meron para sa mga bata.” Simple hopes indeed, and it has been my priority to fulfill those hopes and meet those basic needs.

I write this letter of thanks to you, my dear soldier, because it has not been said often enough, it has not been shown nearly enough. I write to say thank you for doing a good job, and to say forward march and fight on; win the peace, secure the future.

Your brother in service,
Dodo Iriberri http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/704307/full-text-iriberris-letter-to-the-filipino-soldier