Visaya takes over as AFP Chief of Staff

Lt. Gen. Ricardo Visaya on Friday took over the leadership of the country's military as the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

He took over the post from then Acting Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Glorioso Miranda at the General Headquarters Grandstand in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City.

Visaya used to serve as the chief of the AFP Southern Luzon Command.

Both President Rodrigo Duterte and Vice President Leni Robredo attended the event. It was their first meeting ever since the election concluded on May 9.

Former presidents Fidel V. Ramos also witnessed the event.

Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana also graced the occasion.

Visaya in his address said that there would be let up in AFP's crackdown against terrorists.

"But, we will be unrelenting in our focused military operations against terrorist groups like the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) and all its allied terrorist and all its allied terrorist cells," he said in his first speech as the AFP chief.

To do this, Visaya plans to rethink the AFP's armament acquisition program to further beef up the capacity and capability to search and engage said terrorists.

"We will realign military resources to their identified bailiwicks and sanctuaries and apply our military strength to suppress them, hunt them down and finish them," he added.

"We will continue to apply the full force of the law 24/7 to go after these criminals and profit-seeking elements who operate under the guise of religious fervor and holy war," he said. —NB, GMA News