PIA)--The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), Philippine National Police, Commission on Elections and other stakeholders joined the 2019 Midterm Elections Unity Walk, Interfaith Prayer Rally, and Peace Covenant Signing on Sunday, 13 January 2019, for the honest, orderly, and peaceful conduct of elections (HOPE).

Around 500 AFP soldiers from the General Headquarters, Army, Navy, and Air Force participated in the unity march that started at the Quezon City Hall, going around the Elliptical Road and ended at the QC Memorial Circle.

AFP Deputy Chief of Staff, Vice Admiral Gaudencio Collado Jr. led the contingent. He was joined by Maj. Gen. Pablo Lorenzo, deputy chief of staff for Intelligence, J2; Commo Sean Anthony Villa, assistant deputy chief of staff for operations AJ3; and Brig. Gen. Edgard Arevalo, deputy chief of staff for civil military operations, AJ7, along with other AFP key leaders.

The unity march was culminated with the signing of an Integrity Pledge to manifest the candidates' and government organizations' and non-government organizations' commitment to make the May 2019 elections clean, safe, credible, and orderly and the casting away of white doves to symbolize peace.

PNP and AFP contingents during the Unity Walk to promote honest, orderly and peaceful elections on May 13, 2019. (Photo courtesy of AFP)

VAdm Collado said that the AFP's participation signifies its resolve to ensure that the elections shall be honest, orderly, peaceful and safe in coordination with other GOs and NGOs.

In a meeting with COMELEC in Camp Crame last Friday, AFP Chief of Staff Gen Benjamin Madrigal Jr., said that the participation of AFP personnel shows the military's "unwavering commitment in keeping the integrity, sanctity, and security of a fair and honest elections."

"AFP is the protector of the Filipino people and the state, intensifying our efforts to keep all electoral threats at bay, coordinating with everyone who attended here to uphold successful elections and the AFP shall remain apolitical and non-partisan as the President continues to remind us to be neutral." Gen Madrigal said. (PIA-NCR)