Newly appointed Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief-of-staff, Lt. Gen. Felimon Santos Jr. urged AFP personnel to adhere to the highest standards of excellence in doing service to the country.

In his first flag-raising ceremony as AFP chief at Camp Aguinaldo, Santos told personnel to improve their performance, even as President Rodrigo Duterte expressed full support and confidence to the military.

“Let me reiterate in urging every member of the AFP to live up to our pledge, to adhere to the highest standards of excellence, to abide by the rules of our military discipline, to strive together to turn our motivation into action, and be able to accomplish our mission with the welfare of our men and women of the AFP in mind,” he said.

In the new decade, he said the military would take off from the gains and milestones achieved last year.

“Let us gear-up and advance at full speed as we continue our transformation journey,” he said.

Santos, a member of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) Class of 1986, replaced Gen. Noel S. Clement who reached the mandatory retirement age of 56.

Prior to his appointment, Santos was the commander of Eastern Mindanao Command, assuming the post in January 2019. (PNA)