A Soldier’s Duty

Article II, Section 3 of the 1987 Philippine Constitution states:

Civilian authority is, at all times, supreme over the military. The Armed Forces of the Philippines is the protector of the people and the State. Its goal is to secure the sovereignty of the State and the integrity of the national territory.

Based on that provision, the primary duty of a soldier is to protect the people. So every time that a person is forcibly taken by any armed group, when the New People’s Army has overtaken a barrio, when rogue elements of the AFP do their crimes with impunity, the AFP and every soldier fail in their duty.

There’s this poem about loyalty that is being bandied by the military:

If you work for a man in Heaven’s name work for him;
speak well of him and stand by the institution he represents.
Remember an ounce of loyalty is worth a pound of cleverness.
If you must growl or condemn and constantly find fault, resign your position,
and when you are on the outside damn to your heart’s content.

But as long as you are a part of the institution, don’t condemn it.
If you do, the first high wind that comes along will blow you away.
And probably, you’ll never know why.

The reason I don’t believe in this poem is that it implies that loyalty trumps accountability.

One thought on “A Soldier’s Duty

  1. …that loyalty trumps accountability”… and it should. Accountability isn’t his but the chief’s.

    Head must roll.

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