ANGELES CITY– Armed Forces chief of staff Lt. Gen. Jessie Dellosa vowed yesterday his commitment to the peace process, as “there is no victory when both Filipinos fight and kill each other in the guise of love of country.”
Dellosa stressed this in his speech during rites that turned over his concurrent capacity as commander of the unified Northern Luzon Command (Nolcom) to Lt. Gen. Anthony Alcantara in ceremonies held yesterday at the Nolcom headquarters at Camp Aquino, Tarlac City.
“I am positive that our years of experience in ideological warfare had taught all of us, valuable lessons that it (military option) will only give our country more harm than good,” he said.
Dellosa noted that “one thing for sure, we now know, that military solution alone is not an option”, as he thanked members of the negotiating team of the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace Process (OPPAP) “in their arduous efforts to make peace process the center of our National Security Policy.”
“All these changes in our paradigm shift taught us military men that indeed, there is no victory when both Filipinos fight and kill each other in the guise of love of country,” he said.
Shifting his speech to Pilipino, Dellosa also said that “in armed clashes especially in the north, no one wins and all of us end up as losers because always, only civilians are caught in between the clashing forces.”
Dellosa called on “wayward Filipino brothers to now manifest sincerity by giving up arms and giving way to change and peaceful struggle” through “peaceful and sincere dialog.”
Dellosa, noting the role of the Nolcom under his leadership in helping victims of typhoon Quiel in Central Luzon, also reiterated that as AFP chief of staff, disaster preparedness and response would remain one of his major thrusts.
“In the AFP, we will definitely push through with the close coordination with the Office of the Civil Defense to fast-track the identification and the study needed in training and equipage of personnel for disaster response,” he said.
Dellosa noted that “this concept does not only entail military rescue and relief operations but also in how to integrate the untapped capabilities of our reservists and how to enjoin the community volunteer participation.”
He also vowed to enhance the capability of the AFP’s public affairs office, saying “my perception on media relations changed enormously when I was assigned here (at Nolcom).”
“Here in Northern Luzon Command, we enhanced the capability of our Command Information Office (CIO) to serve as its venue to connect with partners in media.
It inspired me even more to replicate this public affairs capability enhancement in other AFP units,” he added.
