AFP Commemorates its 18th Code of Ethics Day

(Iligan, 13 October) The usual morning colors of the troops at 104^th Infantry Brigade Headquarters in Lanao del Norte, this Monday, was additionally marked with the renewal of the oath of adherence to the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ Code of Ethics and the reading of the message of General Alexander Yano, the AFP Chief of Staff.

Similar scenes could be observed in military bases nationwide as the AFP commemorates its 18^th Code of Ethics Day.

Colonel Benito de Leon, the Commander of 104^th Infantry Brigade, reminisced in his message how he along with about a hundred delegates from the army, navy, air force, and constabulary services of the AFP gathered in 1990 to formulate the code. He explains that it was important to establish and define the values and beliefs of a military professional: the varied interpretations of it across the services were identified as a cause of the series of past mutinies.

De Leon further recalls that the formulation process was facilitated by the Organization Development Associates Internationale headed by Dr. Antonio Roldan Jr. where delegates of different ranks and in civilian attire identified, debated, defined, and agreed on the provisions for inclusion in the proposed code. The draft was circulated for comments, and was eventually ratified by the AFP members and adopted in 1991 identifying the core values as “honor, loyalty, valor, duty, and solidarity.”

“Each of us should seriously imbibe the true meaning of the creed we have to live by so as to deserve being a professional member of the AFP,” exhorts De Leon in his message to his troops.

Meanwhile, General Yano underscored the importance of the day in his message, “With the prevailing situation unfolding, I am certain that today’s celebration of the AFP Code of Ethics Day will allow us to understand more the enormous challenge of defining and explaining our moral convictions and responsibility to public trust.”