President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. welcomed the new officers of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) during a joint graduation ceremony at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City on Friday.

‘Your graduation day today signifies the culmination of your determination, sacrifice, and hard work to overcome the challenges of becoming an officer of the Armed Forces of the Philippines,” he said.

“This marks the beginning of your role to ensure the defense of our nation and the safety of all Filipinos,” he added.

President Marcos expressed confidence that the new officers would carry out their duty to defend the country and maintain peace.

“As I stand before you here today, I am very proud to know that the future of our nation’s defense and peace lies in capable and honorable hands,” he said.

The Chief Executive likewise recognized the graduates who received awards and served as inspiration to their fellow officer candidates.

“May these awards encourage you to excel in your duties and become even more dedicated to serving our beloved Philippines. Your achievements and success are your contributions to nation-building,” he said.

This year’s major services officers’ candidate course graduation is composed of 610 graduates. Of the figure, 362 cadets are from the Philippine Army (PA) – Katarakian Class 61-2024, 173 from the Philippine Air Force (PAF) – Sigmandigan Class 2024 and 75 from the Philippine Navy (PN) – Mangisalakan Class 42-2024. |PND