No Christmas parties for AFP units, says military spox

Armed Forces spokesman Major General Edgard Arevalo on Wednesday said all units of the AFP have been ordered not to hold Christmas parties during the holiday season this year, adding funds will instead be allotted to address the needs of military personnel amid the prevailing COVID-19 pandemic.

In a statement, Arevalo said AFP chief General Gilbert Gapay has directed the issuance of an order addressed to all unit commanders and chiefs of offices across the country about the prohibition of holding parties.

“Defer Christmas parties and similar celebrations as an austerity measure and as a gesture of sensitivity to our countrymen," Gapay said in his order.

"Fellow Filipinos here and abroad have been suffering. And this is the least we can do to commiserate with the people we have sworn to secure and serve especially in this time of crisis," he added.

The AFP said the ban on parties is also in line with the health standards and protocols, proscribing any form of mass gathering amid the pandemic.

Earlier, Philippine National Police chief Police General Camilo Pancratius Cascolan said the police force would also not hold any party during the Christmas season.

Cascolan said the funds would be added to the police's COVID-19 response efforts. — Anna Felicia Bajo/RSJ, GMA News