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REMARKS OF THE COMMANDING GENERAL, PAF

NCOS BALIKYAKAP DOS ALUMNI HOMECOMING 2010/

38 NCOS Anniversary Celebration

19 January 2010

AMENITIES

To be honest with all of you, I was really amazed at the demonstration of military parade proficiency by the NCOs and Candidate Soldiers of AETC. Of course led by no less than senior NCO, Master Sergeant Vivian Babilonia. Palakpakan natin sila. I guess this is the first time we’ve seen a female troop commander in the Philippine Air Force. So siguro sa mga darating na parada – ‘’yung mga pumapalakpak dun, sabi “kami rin sa susunod”. Kukunin ko lang mga pangalan ninyo at iko-consider ko kayo na maging troop commander sa mga susunod na parada.

The first time I heard about this NCOS Balikyakap event was last December. I thought this was just an ordinary gathering. Pero nag-isip pa rin ako kung ano ang yayakapin dahil Balikyakap.

According to my source, may nagsabi raw na sapagkat ito ay Balikyakap ay pwede na ring tawaging Yakap Yakap. At sapagkat Balikyakap Dos, ulit-ulitin natin - Yakap Yakap at Yakap Yakap ulit. Pero huwag na nating tawaging Balik Balik.

Vivian did not actually tell me that this was out of the ordinary, and that enlisted personnel from as far away Clark or even in some other bases. Puwede bang malaman kung may mga nanggaling pa sa mga bases na malalayo - mangyaring itaas ang inyong kanang kamay. From as far as where? Saan ba kayo? Clark… Sangley… napakalayo ng pinanggalingan n’yo. But I’m siure that in the years to come, many more from the other bases will be coming or attending our Balik Yakap.

I’m happy to see many of my colleagues here – ‘yung mga nakasama ko in the past In 1978 I was here as a student officer then became the aide-de-camp of the Wing Commander of the Training Wing. Later on, I came back as Commandant of the Philippine Air Force Flying School. I’m so happy to be back and see old friends and of course, new faces.

By the way, the trooping of the line was very special. It was very touching. The pride and joy were evident in every NCO’s face. And I also see the proud faces of the Candidate Soldiers, at para na ring Balik-Fernando, kagaya ng nabanggit kanina, this is going to be the Balik Fernando of our NCOs.

I really wanted to come here. That is why when a conflict in my schedule yesterday, I requested that this be rescheduled for today. As your Commanding General, I felt dapat nandito ako – this is an important occasion. This is an occasion where I would like to have fellowship with our NCOs both in the active service and those retired. So I made sure that I would come today. Nag van pa nga ako kasi kung mag- helicopter ako, close ang weather, eh hindi matuloy. Para sigurado mag land transportation na lang tayo. And also to induct the new set of officers and to give valuable guidance to all of you.

You see, the task of making the NCO Corps functional does not exactly fall on the shoulders of a few. Rather it rests in your own hands, in your readiness to share and work among yourselves, and in your willingness to unite and move toward the goals, not only of the Association, not only of the school but of the Philippine Air Force.

You all know it will not be easy. As you may have already found out, the first necessity is to know exactly what you are, what you stand for and what is your reason for being.

I am told that since the activation of the NCO School, then as NCO Academy, over 14,000 enlisted personnel had already passed through its portals. But until last year, there was no single association which served as their home. And so, this is a fitting development in the NCOS where its alumni have been organized. So that you can all be meaningful servants to our country.

The need to belong is a basic human need, but in the military, it is often a powerful motivator. And so when this activity was conceived last year, the reaction was spontaneous and overwhelming.

The second need is the functional administrative mechanism. One that will enable all of you to reach out to each other and facilitate the processing of activities or projects. For now, it is good to see that the NCO School, led by Col Gems Molina, has taken up the cudgels. It is also noteworthy that the AETC has assumed this activity as a command undertaking. But in the future, your association must be able to orchestrate everything – from initiating projects to networking to all your members both in the active and retired. These needs let me tell you, are all things you need to address. There will be challenges but it will give you a sense of self-fulfillment. They are challenges that each one of you must cooperate in order to overcome, in order to attain.

When I was trooping the line and checking the candidate soldiers in formation, I immediately sensed that it won’t take long before these candidate soldiers, they too will become NCOs and, subsequently, be in the position to lead. In time, indeed, you will all be instrumental in shaping the Philippine Air Force.

You are also well situated here at AETC, currently under the leadership of General Tatu Sanchez. The other day, during the command conference at HPAF, General Sanchez announced something that was long obvious, but not always stated about this command. Sabi niya, sa AETC, dito ang simula. And he added, dito ang simula ng tama.

The same goes with all of you. You count among yourselves one of the most selfless servants in our country – airmen who would willingly sacrifice themselves in line of duty. In fact, as we gather today, four enlisted personnel are struggling there in Haiti in the aftermath of the most devastating earthquake in the last 200 years. One of them is A1C Rhemar Gancena from the PAF Flying School. His wife is AW1C Ritzel Gancena, who is assigned at headquarters AETC. Another one, AW1C Janice Orcena, is missing.

Given the quality of your membership and your potential, there is no doubt that you will grow to become a well-respected alumni association. You already have the makings. That beautiful NCOS Alumni Association seal, showing all the NCO ranks, is one. The establishment of the NCO CARES or Comprehensive Assistance on Recurring Emergencies System to cover active NCOs is another. Let me as your Commanding General make it clear, particularly for those in the active roles is that your first family is still of course the Air Force and your Air Force will do its best to take care of you.

So whatever plans you make, whatever moves you do, bear in mind that the Air Force mission comes first, and that any directional unity of any association or group must only reinforce the policy direction we are all taking.

For now the Air Force is focused on the propagation of the core values of InSTEP – on promoting integrity, enhancing service above self, strengthening teamwork, propagating excellence and instituting professionalism. These are the core values that we need in our organization to be worthy of the trust of the Filipino people. And these core values, I am confident, are being imbibed in all our students. And truly as what your Commander said, dito nagsisimula sa AETC, dito nagsisimula ang core values, at dito nagsisimula ang tama at gawin nating tama ang core values upang sa lahat ng graduates, whether you are officers, enlisted personnel – when you go back our units and we get our assignments, we will all be advocates of our core values. Nowhere these core values are best developed and nurtured than here at AETC. And so I trust that you will not depart from these, but, in fact, use the alumni association to reflect the same core values. I expect that even as you discuss issues of common and mutual concern, you will keep those values as reference points and guides for they are self-evident.

Committed to our core values, particularly service, NCOS alumni, rest assured that the Philippine Air Force will always be supportive your association.

At this point, let me commend General Sanchez and his entire command for supporting this laudable celebration, turning this into a command activity in order to showcase the best of our airmen in parade and also for strengthening the core values among the officers and civilian employees of this great unit.

Allow me to express my appreciation to the PAF NCO Council and the 2009 Interim set of officers, headed by Chief Master Sergeant Efren Abe, represented here by Senior Master Sergeant Enrico Padre Juan, for the crucial preliminary works that they’ve done during the first year.

Let me greet and congratulate as well the NCO School for spearheading this event and observing their 38^th anniversary this way. I think Col Gems Molina deserves recognition for this outstanding work – let’s all give him a round of applause.

Once more, my praise and thanks to all of you NCOs and airmen, including the BMT students of Col Calip, for this morale-boosting performance.

Before I end, allow me to leave you this message from the letter of St Paul to the Philippians, and I quote: “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. Keep on doing what you have learned and received and heard and seen in me. Then the God of peace will be with you.”

On this note I say Mabuhay ang NCOS Alumni Association. Mabuhay ang Non-Commissioned Officers’ School, Mabuhay ang AETC, Mabuhay ang Philippine Air Force at Mabuhay tayong lahat.

God bless us all and Good morning to everyone.