Outgoing AFP chief thanks troops for protecting Mindanao

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines - Without any formal military parade, Armed Forces Chief of Staff General Emmanuel Bautista thanked the ground commanders in Zamboanga City as he made his farewell visit in the southern Philippines 10 days before he will bow out of service.

Bautista arrived Thursday with some selected joint staff officials here and devoted his brief stay to thank the ground commanders from Sulu, Basilan, and Zamboanga peninsula who were gathered here, headed by Lt. Gen. Rustico Guerrero and service units from the Air Force and Navy.

He cited the ground commanders of their accomplishments in bringing stability and addressing various threat from the Abu Sayyaf.

Bautista cited the military troops in quelling the rogue forces of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) under Nur Misuari during the September 9 siege that devastated a district in this city, left more than 200 people killed and displaced over 120,000 residents.

“The rogue MNLF is no longer a threat. We have the Western Mindanao Command (Westmincom) to ensure and address any of the threat,” Bautista told reporters as he led the inauguration of a military-run FM radio station inside the Westmincom headquarters.

Bautista later met the military and civilian personnel and stayed mostly for photo opportunity on the parade ground of the grandstand before flying to Eastern Mindanao command in Davao City.

Bautista declined to reveal any hint as to who will succeed him to the post when he will step down from the military service on July 20 or about a week earlier before he reach the age of 56, the mandatory age of retirement from the military service.