Leni Robredo visits AFP chief Gapay, gets assurance of support

Vice President Leni Robredo on Tuesday visited Armed Forces of the Philippines chief of staff Lieutenant General Gilbert Gapay in Camp Aguinaldo.

In a statement, Gapay expressed the AFP's support for the Vice President and "all humanitarian assistance programs anchored on maintaining peace and development in the country."

“The AFP is honored to have Vice President Leni Robredo who took time out of her busy schedule to visit the military’s general headquarters and convey her message of support to our entire endeavor,” Gapay said.

“As the mandated protectors of the people and state, the AFP will continue to support the Office of the Vice President as well as all humanitarian assistance programs anchored on maintaining peace and development in the country,” he added.

Robredo thanked the AFP for its support for the OVP's endeavors such as the Oasis Project where military engineers helped in the construction of temporary shelters for medical frontliners amid the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic.

The Vice President also commended the AFP in its efforts to fight the pandemic as well as the agency’s efforts to protect the country’s maritime interests in the West Philippine Sea.

She also assured the OVP’s continued support for the AFP.

“Courtesy call to [Gapay] at Camp Aguinaldo this afternoon to personally convey my congratulations on his designation since I was not able to attend the Turn Over of Command last August,” Robredo said in a Facebook post.

“I also took the opportunity to thank the AFP for being a dependable partner in our various initiatives, especially those in line with our COVID-19 response,” she added.

Robredo said the AFP has been helping the Office of the Vice President (OVP) deliver PPE sets and medical supplies to various areas across the country.

The AFP has also been “active participants” in the OVP’s free shuttle service for frontline workers in Metro Manila and Cebu, according to the vice president.

Robredo added that the 51st Engineer Brigade of the Philippine Army helped her office build temporary shelters for medical workers as well as triage and quarantine areas at two hospitals in Manila.

President Rodrigo Duterte appointed Gapay as AFP head last July. —Joahna Lei Casilao and Julia Mari Ornedo/LDF/NB, GMA News