Manila, Feb. 20 -- President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Thursday called on the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) to ensure the "peaceful, credible, and orderly" conduct of this year's midterm elections.

"Once again, we find ourselves at a critical juncture where we have to preserve not only the integrity of our election, but the very ethos of our democracy," Marcos said after the oath-taking of the newly-promoted AFP generals and flag officers and graduates of the Foreign Pre-Commission Training Institutions (FPCTI) in a ceremony at Malacanan Palace in Manila.

"As a nation that deeply values and honors our right to vote, we are counting on the armed forces to ensure a peaceful, credible, and orderly conduct of the electoral process ...