General Carlito Galvez Jr. (left), Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, leads the Pledge of Commitment during the celebration of the International Humanitarian Law (IHL) month on August 16 at Tejeros Hall, AFP Commissioned Officers Club, Camp Aguinaldo. Also in the photo are: Undersecretary Severo Catura, Executive Director for Presidential Human Rights Committee; Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Undersecretary for Strategic Communication Ernesto Abella; DFA Undersecretary for Defense Policy Ricardo David Jr.; and Mr. Boris Kelecevic, Deputy Head of Delegation, International Committee of the Red Cross. (Photo by Corporal Joel Manzano/PAOAFP) The Armed Forces of the Philippines on Thursday reaffirmed its commitment towards the promotion of the International Humanitarian Law (IHL) during a ceremony held at the AFP Commissioned Officers Club (AFPCO) in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City.

General Carlito Galvez Jr, AFP Chief of Staff, led the Pledge of Commitment of Military Officers and Enlisted Personnel during the official opening of the celebration of IHL Month.

The Department of National Defense (DND) is hosting this year’s national celebration of the IHL Month with the theme “Kaligtasan ng Mamamayan sa Panahon ng Digmaan, Sama-sama nating Pagtulungan.”

Among the guests during the ceremony were: Undersecretary Severo Catura, Executive Director for Presidential Human Rights Committee; Department of Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Ernesto Abella; Undersecretary for Defense Policy Ricardo David Jr.; and Boris Kelecevic, Deputy Head of Delegation, International Committee of the Red Cross.

Activities lined up for the month include an IHL photo exhibit on 16 August at Heroes Hall of General Headquarters Building in Camp Aguinaldo; IHL Fun Run, Human Formation, and Bloodletting on 17 August at the Philippine Army Grandstand in Fort Bonifacio; and series of IHL Training/Seminar on 5-6 September at AFPCOC.

Also part of the celebration is the “Toys and Books for Children of Marawi” — a donation campaign for the month of July to August.

The Philippines, as a Contracting Party to the Four Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949, subscribes to the basic principle of disinterested humanitarian aid to all victims of war and armed conflict without discrimination and accepts direct responsibility for the application of IHL when involved in an armed conflict.

Annually since 1999, the DND and the Department of Foreign Affairs co-chair a government inter-agency ad hoc committee to formulate and implement activities to commemorate the IHL Day on 12 August and the whole month of August as IHL month.