Around 400 selected front-liners from the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) on Wednesday received PHP1,000 worth of groceries each from the Metrobank Foundation, Inc. (MBFI) and GT Foundation, Inc. (GTFI) in honor of their heroism and sacrifice in helping contain the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic.

AFP chief Lt. Gen. Cirilito Sobejana led the ceremonial distribution of the “red bags” containing the groceries at the AFP Headquarters in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City.

“We are truly grateful to the MBFI and GTFI for including our troops as beneficiaries of these ‘red bags’ and for recognizing the efforts of our AFP front-liners in our battle against the pandemic and other various forms of threats that our nation continues to confront,” Sobejana said.

Sobejana also lauded the foundations for its genuine concern for the welfare of soldiers and for willingly supporting the military organization in many ways.

“Indeed, this simple yet profound act of generosity will certainly rekindle our passion and motivate us to carry on with our mission of protecting our people and serving the land,” he added.

Also present in the ceremony were AFP deputy chief-of-staff for personnel Maj. Gen. Adriano S. Perez Jr., and acting deputy chief-of-staff for civil-military operations Brig. Gen. Gabriel Viray. They were joined by Hero Hernandez, Excellence Awards Unit head of MBFI, and Lilac Lazaro, senior program officer for GTFI.

The Bags of Blessings Project is a nationwide gift-giving activity of the MBFI and GTFI being held every Chinese New Year.

As a way of carrying out their tradition of sharing, the “red bags” each containing PHP1,000-worth of assorted food items will also be distributed to 17,600 underprivileged families in different areas nationwide.

The AFP joins this philanthropic effort by providing assistance in the distribution of bags. Soldiers also provide security and manpower before, during, and after the distribution of gift packs to the families. It has been one of the active partners of MBFI and GTFI since 2015.

This year, the foundations included military front-line workers as part of the beneficiaries in appreciation of their dedication and contributions in the nationwide efforts to battle the Covid-19 pandemic.

“We deeply hope that our partnership will continue to flourish and remain stronger in the years to come. The Metrobank Foundation, Inc. and GT Foundation, Inc. have been there for us in times of need, and so, the AFP will be here for them,” Sobejana said. (PNA)