Our President has set many records for the books when he won the 2016 elections. Among those are – the first to garner more than seven million votes over the runner up, the first Mindanaoan President, the first septuagenarian President, and the first President with the highest trust rating of ninety one percent from the Filipino people.
On the hind sight, President Rodrigo Roa Duterte also has set a record as the first Commander-in-Chief to visit the most number of military installations in the first months of Office. For the record, the President has visited and talked to troops in twenty eight camps in his first five months as President. Among these military camps are:
- Camp General Emilio Aguinaldo, Quezon City;
- 104th Infantry Brigade, Isabela City, Basilan;
- Western Mindanao Command, Zambanga City;
- 6th Infantry Divvision, Camp Siongco, Awang, Maguindanao;
- 7th Infantry Divsion, Fort Magsaysay, Nueva Ecija;
- Southern Luzon Command, Camp Nakar, Lucena City;
- 60th Infantry Battalion Headquarters,Asuncion, Davao del Norte;
- Camp V. Luna, Quezon City;
- 3rd Infantry Division, Camp Peralta, Capiz;
- Central Command, Camp Lapu-lapu, Cebu City;
- Eastern Mindanao Command, Panacan, Davao City;
- 8th Infantry Divsion, Camp Lukban, Catbalogan Samar;
- 4th Infantry Divsion, Camp Evangelista, Cagayan de Oro City;
- 1st Infantry Division, Camp Sang-an, Labangan, Zamboanga del Sur;
- 5th Infantry Division, Camp Melchor, Gammu, Isabela
- 9th Infantry Division, Camp Angeles , Pili, Camarines Sur; and
- Joint Task Force Sulu, Camp Teodolfo Bautista, Jolo, Sulu
These camp visits of the President are more than what meets the eye. Its more than appeasing the military. These camps visits are an application of the basic leadership principles of keeping your men informed and knowing your men and looking out for their welfare. More importantly, this is in keeping with his huge responsibility as Commander-in- Chief to “see the battlefield” in order to personally assess the security situation, appreciate the terrain and provide the strategic guidance to the military’s campaign.
In the he President’s talk to men, he never fails to mention the increase in salary of every soldier, the enhancement of medical facilities and equipment in military hospitals, and the recruitment of more soldiers. These keep the passion and dedication to the service alive. These talks and boodlefights with the troops are mediums which enable the men in ranks to understand and ensure that everybody is aligned in this administration.