135 'smiling' RP peacekeepers in Liberia praised by the UN

Filipino military peacekeepers in Liberia received medals and praise from the United Nations for doing their job with “dignity and professionalism" and "with a smile."

Citing a report from the Philippine Mission to the United Nations, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said the awarding was held last Tuesday. The UN peacekeeping medals were presented in a ceremonynin Monrovia by the head of the UN Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) Ellen Margrethe Løj to the 135 members of the 12th Philippine Contingent. Ambassador Løj expressed appreciation to the Filipino peacekeepers led by Lt. Col. Vicente Gregorio Tomas for their hard work and contributions to peace in Liberia. She also applauded the security and defense platoons responsible for area, point and security patrols at UNMIL headquarters for carrying out their tasks with discipline and rigor. “It is easy to be human, but it is hard to be humane," the envoy quoted a Filipino proverb, referring to the community outreach activities of the members of the 12th Philippine Contingent. Løj also thanked the Filipino peacekeepers for the clean-up drive of the Sun Beach area near Camp Abuja in Monrovia. She also cited their plans to offer humanitarian assistance to orphanages in collaboration with religious leaders in Monrovia over the Christmas holidays. The Philippines has 166 personnel from the military and the police serving in UNMIL. Of these, 135 are attached to the Force Headquarters Security Unit responsible for securing UNMIL Headquarters; two are assigned as UNMIL staff officers; and 26 are UN police officers. The Philippines also has peacekeepers supporting UN operations in Afghanistan, Cote d’ Ivoire, Darfur, the Golan Heights, Haiti, Kashmir, Sudan and Timor Leste. - JHU, GMANews.TV