VICE President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte-Carpio lauded the bravery of soldiers after taking her oath as an honorary member of the Philippine Military Academy’s Bagong Anyo ng Buhay Class of 2002.

She commemorated the courage of soldiers who ensured the safety of Filipinos.

She gave tribute to Major Jericho Mangalus, a member of class of 2002, who perished along with Corporal Bryan Libot after being ambushed by the Maute group in 2017.

“Ang kabayanihan ni Mangalus at ng iba pang mga sundalong nagtanggol sa ating kalayaan ay hindi natin malilimutan,” Duterte-Carpio said.

“We will continue working together in increasing the capability of our military by seeking interventions that will foster our military’s excellent leadership while spearheading programs that will uplift the morale of our soldiers and promote the welfare of all our uniformed men and women,” the Vice President said.

Senator Robin Padilla and Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company Executive Leo Gonzales also joined the organization.