MANILA — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Monday swore in 40 new generals and flag officers of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), vowing to support the military as it entered a "new era."

The newly-minted ranking officers from the Philippine Army, Philippine Air Force, and Philippine Navy took their oaths of office before Marcos, the military's commander-in-chief, at the Malacañang Palace on Monday afternoon.

In his speech, Marcos said he would ensure to strengthen and attend to the wellbeing of AFP personnel.

He also reminded the new generals and flag officers that with their higher ranks come a "heavier responsibility and a more demanding kind of public service."

"You will be tasked to efficiently manage the organization and its assets and maintain its effectivity and resilience. You are to lead and mobilize the nation’s new generation of guardians and future leaders and instill in them the virtues of discipline, valor and patriotic public service that has brought you to this day today," Marcos told the newly-installed military officials.

"With the ever changing dynamics of geopolitics and the global security environment, more challenges will undoubtedly lie ahead," he added.

The President further challenged the officials to be "effective, formidable and responsible" in order to defend and preserve the Philippines' integrity and interests.

The new generals and flag officers took their oaths as the Marcos administration continued its push for the modernization of the AFP, which has been backed by foreign countries such as Israel and the United States.

• Israel backs Philippine military modernization
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It also came as the Philippines continued to deal with persistent geopolitical tensions in the Asia-Pacific, particularly its territorial dispute with China on the South China Sea, parts of which Manila calls the West Philippine Sea.

Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro, whose marching orders from Marcos include push for the AFP modernization program, earlier said that the Philippines was "not a pawn" in the said tensions.

• Philippines 'not a pawn' in Asia-Pacific geopolitical tensions: defense chief

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