The Philippine Army (PA) unveiled Tuesday the United Nations Peacekeeping Operations Monument in honor of Filipino peacekeepers who have served and helped the UN in preventing conflict since its inception in 1945.
The monument, which seeks to honor the heroism, bravery, and sacrifice of the peacekeepers, was unveiled at the Army headquarters in Fort Bonifacio, Metro Manila.
“May this Peacekeeper Monument serve as a stark reminder to the public of the bravery of our soldiers abroad, and encourage the rest of our troops here to emulate in their respective fields of competence the courage that our Filipino UN Peacekeepers have shown all these years,” Armed Forces of the Philippines Chief, Gen. Cirilito Sobejana, said.
Army commander, Maj. Gen. Andres Centino, said it makes him proud as a Filipino to heed the call of others in the name of freedom, peace, and democracy.
“For even if we have different cultures, beliefs, or social standing, peacekeeping is our common ground. It is our shared sense of humanity,” Centino said.
Army peacekeepers served alongside their counterparts from other troop-contributing countries in UN peacekeeping missions in Liberia, Haiti, Syria, Golan Heights, Aceh, Burundi, Ivory Coast, Iraq, Sudan, India and Pakistan, Abyel, South Sudan, and Central Africa.
The Army’s 4,000-strong “warrior-peacekeepers” continuously serve in areas across the globe where they are needed. (PNA)
