📷General Romeo Brawner Jr., AFP Chief of Staff, showcasing Philippine flag patch while giving his message during a press conference on July 4, 2024. (AFP| Facebook)
IN what appears to be another radical move seen to irk China anew, Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief-of-staff General Romeo Brawner Jr. ordered all Filipino soldiers to wear flag badges on their right arm – a call that is usually done in times of war.
Coming from a command conference three weeks after a violent attack by the Chinese Coast Guard members on the Philippine Navy servicemen, Brawner said that the new directive is expected “to bolster patriotic zeal” among soldiers amid rising tensions at the West Philippine Sea.
“As the chief of staff, I have authorized all members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines to wear our flag on our right arm,” Brawner said moments after a top military-level meeting with the country’s Commander-in-Chief and President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
“We are requiring all members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines to wear the flag proudly on our right arm,” said Brawner, who was wearing a military fatigue uniform with a Philippine flag badge prominently displayed in his right arm.
While flag badges are usually worn in times of war, Brawner claimed that Filipino troops have been wearing flag badges during the Balikatan exercises which involved war games between Filipino and American soldiers.
Previously, Brawner denounced the June 17 incident in Ayungin where Philippine Navy servicemen resisted ax and bolo-wielding Chinese Coast Guard personnel using bare hands. The incident resulted in the destruction of two navy boats, seizure of seven government-issued firearms and seriously injuring seven navy servicemen – including one who lost his thumb during the attack.
Relatedly, National Security Adviser Eduardo Año last month called on Filipino patriots to display the national flag in their homes and workplaces in a show of patriotic zeal following another incident that saw Chinese Coast Guard personnel desecrate the Philippine flag that was mounted on a BRP Bagacay bound to Ayungin for a resupply mission to BRP Sierra Madre where 12 Filipino soldiers are assigned. (ANGEL F. JOSE)
