PHILIPPINE Veterans Affairs Office administrator DND Usec. Reynaldo Mapagu and some Boy Scouts light candles at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at the Libingan ng mga Bayani on Thursday. Photo courtesy of PA
Army honors soldiers at Libingan ng mga Bayani
THE Philippine Army paid tribute to the departed heroes and soldiers at the Libingan ng mga Bayani during the observance of Undas 2024.
PA spokesperson Col. Louie Dema-ala said the soldiers along with a team of Boy and Girl Scouts honored departed heroes, former presidents, soldiers, former state leaders, and national figures in a flaglet-setting and candle-lighting ceremony at the LNMB in Fort Bonifacio in Taguig City on Thursday.
“The synchronized candle-lighting and flaglet-setting ceremony paid tribute to the ‘well-lived’ lives of soldiers, heroes, national artists and scientists and former Philippine presidents of the country who are interred at the heroes’ cemetery,” Dema-ala said.
The PA record showed that as of October 21, a total of 53,824 remains are interred at the LNMB.
The PA earlier has laid out security protocols due to influx of number of visitors at the LNMB.
“In light of the expected uptrend in the number of visitors, the PA deployed explosive and ordnance disposal; K9; signal personnel; military police; and medical teams to strengthen PA’s Task Force Pag-alaala,” the statement added.
PA soliders assisted a total of 84,300 LNMB visitors in 2023 and 43,709 in 2022.
Teams of Grave Services Unit of the Army Support Command assisted and secured visitors who paid their respects to their departed loved ones ahead of All Saints’ Day.
Meanwhile, the Army leadership assured its full support with the Philippine National Police (PNP) in ensuring the safety and security in observance of Undas 2024 nationwide.
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