AFP: A distinguished military institution --Bautista

"It is with great pride that we honor the glorious legacy of the AFP on the occasion of our 78th year. The AFP is a distinguished institution with an enduring legacy of defending the Filipino nation and the ideals of peace, freedom and democracy that our nation represents -- from the revolutionary Army led by Andres Bonifacio that won our independence to the AFP that freed our country and help restore democracy," Bautista said.

"Our proud legacy has always been that of honor, service and patriotism in fulfillment of our constitutional mandate," he added.

The AFP chief stressed that protecting peace and democracy is the proud legacy of the AFP.

"While we win the peace today as our legacy for the future, thus our anniversary theme 'Tagumpay Noon, Bayanihan Ngayon, Karangalan Nating Lahat Bukas', as we celebrate our history, let me take this opportunity to honor and to thank each and every member of our Armed Forces, past and present, for heroism offered and faithful services rendered in the pursuit of our mandate. May we also pay tribute to and honor the lives and services of our fallen brothers who gave their last full measures of devotion in the name of peace, and there is no greater way to honor them than by carrying on the work that they have left behind," he said.

He noted that 2013 is a very particular year due to various challenges it has offered.

"In this particular eventful year of our organization in the face of challenges that kindled the adrenalin of heroism and service in us, the Sabah crisis, the kidnapping of our UN peacekeepers in the Golan Heights, the defense of Zamboanga City, the 7.2-magnitude earthquake that struck Central Visayas, the numerous typhoons, the most devastating of which was super typhoon 'Yolanda,' not to mention the internal peace and security operations that we continuously conduct, all these challenges were met with courage and strength of spirit by every soldier, sailor and airman of the AFP," Bautista emphasized.

In light of these events which were successfully mastered by the military, the AFP chief also took the opportunity to extend his deepest gratitude to all uniformed and non-uniformed personnel for their silent sacrifices and for always performing above and beyond the call of duty.

"You all deserve recognition and this day is for you, in honor of our legacy, we will continue performing our mandate with patriotism burning in our hearts, we will win the peace for the Filipino people, we will continue building a stronger AFP that is more responsive to our mandate. We may have a long way to go but we have already set our transformation direction, as inspired by the leadership and steady vision for reform of His Excellency, President Benigno S. Aquino III. Through our AFP transformation roadmap, we will develop our capabilities and further professionalize our troops, we will be a world-class Armed Forces, a source of national pride," Bautista stressed.