President Benigno S. Aquino III stressed the importance of government support to the country’s military and police forces to ensure efficient service to the people and in maintaining peace and security.

In his speech during the premiere showing of the documentary on the PNP Special Action Force (SAF) entitled: “Tagaligtas” at the AFP Theater, Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City on Wednesday, President Aquino cited the relevance of this kind of documentary that show the innate positive characteristics of the men and women in uniform which, he said, serves as an inspiration to all Filipinos.

“Ang mga ganitong uri ng dokumentaryo ay nagsisilbing inspirasyon upang buhayin ang ating pagka-makabayan, at ipamulat sa atin kung bakit may kakambal na pagpapahalaga, katapatan, at pananagutan ang tinatamasa natin ngayong kalayaan (These kinds of documentary serve as inspiration to relive our sense of nationalism and to remind us that our freedom is accompanied by appreciation, dedication and responsibility),” the President said.

“Subalit maging makatotohanan po tayo: wala pong magagawa ang mga katangiang binanggit ko kung wala namang suportang natatanggap ang ating mga kawal at pulis mula sa pamahalaan na kumakatawan sa sambayanan. Lumalabnaw ang mga prinsipyong ito kung wala sa panig natin ang taumbayan... madaling ipagyabang na nasa likod ng ating mga kawal at sundalo ang sambayanan. Sa tuwid na daan, hindi po tayo basta lang nangangako. nagtatrabaho tayo para gawing kongkreto ang paghahatid ng serbisyo (But let us be honest: the characteristics I mentioned will not do so much if there is no support given by the government for our military and police forces. These principles blur out if the people is not on our side... it is easy to say that the people is behind our military and police forces. Through the straight and righteous path, we do not just make promises. We are working to make our services evident),” he added.

The Chief Executive also noted the developmental programs being implemented by the Aquino government to further enhance the capabilities of the security forces.

“Kaya naman inaaruga at pinapalakas natin ang kakayahan ng ating mga tagapagligtas.Para sa ating pambansang kapulisan, nakabili tayo nitong nakaraang taon ng 144 patrol jeeps, 100 patrol utility vehicles, 182 motorcycle units, 500 assault rifles, 148 na 40mm grenade launchers, at 57 squad automatic weapons. Upang suklian ang kagitingan ng mga alagad ng batas, bukod sa 21,800 na pabahay na naipatayo natin, magdaragdag pa tayo ng 31,200 na pabahay ngayong 2012. Makalipas ang halos dalawang taon ng mabuting pamamahala, 'di po ba’t tinutuldukan na natin ang inyong mga kalbaryo? Ngayon, ang mga tagapagtanggol ng naaapi ay hindi na kailangan pang maapi (That is why we are caring and strengthening the abilities of our defenders. During the past year, we bought 144 patrol jeeps, 100 patrol utility vehicles, 182 motorcycle units, 500 assault rifles, 148 units of 40mm grenade launchers, and 57 squad automatic weapons for our police forces. To show our gratitude for the bravery of our protectors, we are providing an additional 31,200 housing units this 2012 to the already 21,800 housing units built. After almost two years of good governance, are we not putting an end to your hardships? Now, the defenders of the oppressed need not be oppressed),” President Aquino said as he acknowledged the positive results of the government’s efforts in effecting reforms.

“Nagbubunga na nga po ang mga ipinunla nating reporma: natatalikuran na ang kulturang wang-wang, nanunumbalik na ang kumpiyansa sa sundalo't kapulisan, at napapangalagaan ang seguridad ng taumbayan. Ituloy po natin ang laban sa tuwid na daan; sama-sama nating pagsilbihan ang bandila, at pabilisin ang pag-arangkada ng bayan tungo sa tunay na kasaganahan (The reforms we initiated are bearing fruit: we are turning away our backs from a culture of abuse of power, the confidence in our military and police forces is returning, and the security of our people is sustained. Let us continue the fight towards the straight and righteous path; let us together serve under the flag, and accelerate our country towards real progress),” the President said.

Present during the film showing were former president Fidel V. Ramos, Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin, Interior and Local Government Secretary Jesse Robredo and AFP Chief of Staff Gen. Jessie D. Dellosa, among others.

The documentary, produced by former Interior and Local Government Secretary Rafael Alunan III and directed by Bernard Dacanay, recounted SAF’s beginnings, multi-missions and contributions to internal security and public safety.

Former president Ramos, who founded the unit in 1983,said that the documentary also intends to raise the public’s trust and confidence in their law enforcers apart from raising the PNP and SAF’s prestige.

The short film showcased the SAF’s strategic role in defending Camp Crame and overthrowing the Marcos regime in February of 1986; its defense of President Corazon Aquino’s government against several coup attempts in 1987 and 1989; and its contributions to counter-insurgency, anti-terrorism and anti-crime from the 1980s to the present.

Former SAF commanders, officers and non-commissioned officers, and other key personalities who helped shape its history, shared their stories as they experienced it.