Ret. Gen. Gregorio Catapang receives cash donation from UNTV two days before his retirement.
Public service channel UNTV has officially turned over the Php 8 million proceeds from the charity concert, Songs for Heroes 2, to the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine National Police (PNP).
On July 9, two days before his retirement, former AFP Chief of Staff Gen. Gregorio Catapang, Jr. received the check worth Php 4 million at the AFP Military Base in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City.
The other Php 4 million was handed out to former PNP Officer-in-Charge Gen. Leonardo Espina, coinciding with the ceremonial turnover of the Php 24 million financial assistance donated by various civic groups to the PNP’s Special Action Force and to the families of the SAF 44 on July 13.
For Catapang, the donation will be a “great help” for the families of their soldiers who died during encounters. The amount will also go to the AFP’s injured troopers.
The PNP recently held the ceremonial turnover of donations from different civic groups to the SAF44 families, dependents and other officers who got injured in various encounters.
Meanwhile, Espina said that the handing out of financial aid to the families and dependents of SAF 44 and the other police officers who died and got injured in different encounters is “one of [his] last major acts.”
The two generals, who both entered the Philippine Military Academy in 1977, have recently retired after 38 years of service.
They both thanked UNTV, under the helm of Chairman and CEO Dr. Daniel Razon, and International Evangelist Bro. Eli Soriano, one of the main supporters of Songs for Heroes 2, for giving them the opportunity to give back to their fellow defenders before they retire.
The two shared the stage with Progressive Broadcasting Corp. President Mr. Atom Henares and performed a memorable rendition of “That’s What Friends Are For.”
“What a way to retire – with a concert, and with a cause!,” Espina remarked during the event.
In total, the Songs for Heroes concerts, staged on March 19 and June 30, respectively, at the Mall of Asia Arena, was able to raise over Php 14 million.
