Vice President Sara Duterte solidified her stand to “not show mercy” to criminals and terrorist in a meeting she hosted recently with the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP). 

The meeting centered around the initiative of solidifying inter-agency partnerships to strengthen the defensive capabilities of the military and planning to achieve inclusive development. 

Commanders of AFP’s major services are also present in the gathering.

“Our objective was to strengthen existing coordination and enhance interagency cooperation on issues concerning our national security and the country’s development,” Duterte said. 

“Our policy against criminals and terrorists and those that support and espouse their ideologies of violence should be hardline. We should show no mercy to criminals and terrorists,” the Vice President added, highlighting her stand.

She added that the Marcos administration is “aggressively pursuing programs and projects that will address social inequities and further propel the country’s progress post-pandemic” emphasizing that the government will focus on economic recovery post-pandemic. 

To support her previous statement, Duterte pointed out that addressing security issues should be a priority prior to the revival of the economy. 

“The Philippines will only be able to truly recover and rebuild post-pandemic and meaningfully stand with honor and pride as a nation if we successfully address threats to our security,” she added.

Photo credit: Office of the Vice President website