The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) has attributed its high public trust and satisfaction ratings to its visible role in territorial defense, humanitarian assistance, disaster response and national development efforts.
AFP spokesperson Col. Francel Margareth Padilla made the statement following the release of the latest OCTA Research “Tugon ng Masa” survey, which showed the AFP received a 72-percent trust rating and a 70-percent satisfaction rating, placing it among the country’s most trusted and best-performing government institutions.
The AFP earlier welcomed the OCTA survey results, saying public trust serves as motivation for the military to further improve its service and fulfill its mandate.
Padilla said the military’s strong presence in various operations, including activities related to the West Philippine Sea, may have contributed to the positive survey results.
“That is one factor, and of course the strong presence of our Armed Forces in all aspects,” she said in Filipino during a press briefing at Camp Aguinaldo.
She said that while the AFP continues to conduct internal security operations, the military is gradually shifting its focus toward territorial defense.
“Even with our internal security operations, we’re now gradually transitioning to territorial defense and have more operations in terms of humanitarian assistance and disaster response and development efforts,” Padilla said.
According to Padilla, the AFP remains actively involved in various government committees and initiatives supporting development and national security.
“Your AFP is always there in all kinds of operations,” she added.
