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Keeping In Step with the AFP and the Nation

Welcome Remarks of CGPAF
62nd PAF Anniversary
Colonel Jesus Villamor Air Base Grandstand
01 July 2009

Amenities:

Our Guest of Honor and 62nd PAF Anniversary Speaker, who shall be formally introduced later...

Our Chief of Staff, Armed Forces of the Philippines, General Victor S. Ibrado, Sir...

The former Commanding Generals and First Pilots of the Air Force:

Your Excellencies... our friends from the Diplomatic Corps....

The ever lovely ladies of the Air Force... including my own pillar of strength, Jocy...

Commanders and Staff... Officers... Enlisted Personnel... Civilian Employees.... and members all of Team Air Force....

Ladies and Gentlemen...

A "happy anniversary" morning to all of you.

Simple Celebration

Today we mark our 62nd founding anniversary, the day the Philippine Air Force officially became a separate branch of service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. It is only fitting that earlier we invoked God's guidance since all these years, God's grace has been the gentle wind beneath our wings.

It is also proper that this day, as you have witnessed, is rendered without the usual pomp and gaiety of past celebrations, but with only a static display, a band exhibition and this traditional parade.

Sans Flyby

Many may find this a bit too modest, especially by those who once roamed Fightertown in Basa and barrelrolled with the Mustangs and F-5s. Former Commanding General Farolan, himself, (who makes it a point to attend every PAF anniversary celebration) had long pined and wished to see on anniversary day like this a flyby of even just our helicopters — to "rekindle" in his words "the spirit of adventure and excitement" that led many of the youths before to join the "most dangerous of professions."

In his column last year, he said that "a modest flyby of helicopters will remind us that flying is our primary business, and that it is our flying skills, not our marching abilities that differentiate us from the rest of our military brethren."

Anniversary in Action

We fully agree and we certainly will aim for that but current requirements do not warrant the pull-out from the nearest station of a flight of helicopters, whether attack or utility. As a matter of fact, we encourage all airmen today, wherever they are, to simply observe this moment in their areas of responsibility, not in smart blouses, but in flight suits and battle dress attire.

This is why even as we behold our snappy paraders, our thoughts go out first and foremost to them — to all our pilots, crewmen, support personnel and special operations teams, who cannot be here to share this wonderful moment.

By the way, in all fairness, how about a thunderous applause for our paraders, led by Brigadier General Tattu Sanchez. (Applause)

The airmen who are not with us today are out there providing close air support in Basilan, spotting drug plantations in Cagayan, or scouring Bondoc peninsula. They are out there in the maintenance sheds and sunbaked ramps in Cebu and Clark, doing maintenance or repair of engines. They are out there in mountains of Batangas, weeding out insurgency.

Their dedication and drive to serve in the name of the Air Force provide the real substance to this occasion. Let us provide their well-deserved congratulations. (Applause)

Civil Military Initiatives

Our preference to reach out and engage in communities is also the reason we decided to conduct simultaneous civil-military activities a month coming into this anniversary day. Remarkably, they resulted in the planting of mahogany treelings along a 20-kilometer stretch of the STAR Tollway from Lipa to Batangas; in numerous medical and dental missions for poor and indigent communities; in a job fair for thousands of unemployed in Clark; in volumes of blood donations in partnership with the Philippine National Red Cross; and countless other unit-initiated CMO missions- to include moral and spiritual activities.

Air Force personnel all around the country, including our reservists, also gained recognition through the tri-media, as each unit propagated their service programs. Added to those activities were our anniversary runs and massive cleaning and greening of all air bases.

And so, sans the flyby, we feel quite content to culminate our festivities this way.

Status of the Air Force

To be sure, let me state that we are beside ourselves today in pride and joy – not only for what we've done in the past, but, more importantly, for what we have made of the Air Force today 62 years hence.

Let me make no qualms or excuses about it.

The Philippine Air Force today is far from the appearance of the combined fleet of over 150 Mustangs and Sabrejets and Freedom Fighters that literally darkened the skies when they flew together in the fifties. But it is closer in form to the benign swarm of MG-520s and UH-1H, and purposeful flight of transport aircraft which, by the way, are needed for the essential tasks of nation-building and assuring internal security.

The Philippine Air Force today is challenged to locate and identify bogeys in the outer layers of our airspace. But it is assisted with sensors and new equipment to look down into what's happening on the ground and sea surfaces, with our marine resources, our wildlife and forest cover, and with certain identified groups who continue to test our resolve in peace.

The Philippine Air Force today is working hard to sustain its fixed wings, for training and for transport missions. But whenever called and wherever needed, we always manage to release our planes for timely response. In line with our Capability Upgrade Program, we have also fixed our sights on acquiring trainer aircraft, special mission aircraft, light lift aircraft and sets of night fighting systems for our aircrew aside from the combat utility and night capable helicopters.

The Philippine Air Force today gives importance to much-needed platforms for rescue and quick recovery, and counter-insurgency. But we more than make for that with the dedication and ingenuity of our Search and Rescue teams, and, most outstandingly, the genius and audacity of our Special Operations Teams.

The Philippine Air Force today is not only tutored in the traditional concepts of security, but it is more increasingly educated and open to new imperatives such as human security, basic human rights, and security sector reform. It is also more engaged regionally and internationally in peacekeeping and counter-terrorism, with more officers and personnel on schooling and/or deployment around the world.

Talent Force

In the midst of these changes, the Philippine Air Force today continues to see the challenges of retaining critical skills, particularly of our pilots. But it also holds the door to hundreds of pilots and thousands of enlisted personnel and civilian employees – and thousands more waiting and wanting to enter the service but could not be accommodated. Most degree holders in college, with arguably the highest literacy levels in themilitary organization, they comprise not only our human capital, but our "talent force." And if I may add corollary to this a total of 356 Job Order Personnel, beneficiaries of Presidential Decree 782 which is a Job Opportunity Program of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, has been accommodated in the Philippine Air Force. These personnel rage from medical to technical skilled workers who will be deployed to the various units of this Command effective 1 July 2009. And here they are, ladies and gentlemen.

Derived from the parable of the talents in the book of Matthew, this reference that I ascribe to them is what sustains the strength of our organization. And they are well represented today in this grandstand.

Core Values

Lastly, the Philippine Air Force today is confronted at all sides with the imperative to implement and adopt internal reforms in the Armed Forces. Thankfully, enough, our personnel, our talent force, have already begun to walk our talk on living our core values.

Since my assumption last January, core-value approach and core competency-based strategy, anchored on strategic planning, is what we have adopted. Central to our transformation is the observance of the Air Force core values of Integrity, Service before Self, Teamwork, Excellence in everything we do and Professionalism. This early, through activities on core values, we have seen progress in the spread of moral regeneration, ethical accountability and sense of honor in our units. The Air Force is particularly proud of the historic Honor Code for Mentors adopted by the Air Education and Training Command.

Back to the Future

I almost forgot. The Philippine Air Force today may have lost part of its romance with the wild blue yonder. But the Super Pinto project is still at AFRDC. We have all the drawings and microfilms and the license to manufacture this aircraft, if ever. And more than that, we are poised to join the Aviation Society of the Philippines, which is being launched today at the PAF Aerospace Museum. We are moving back to the future.

This — in so many words— is the status of your Philippine Air Force today. I would have actually loved to go a bit further except that I just realized I am only delivering a welcome address. My apologies to our honored Guest and our Chief of Staff.

Deliberate Recall

By the way, the offense to extend my remarks is deliberate. And it is made to underscore one main point about the Air Force on this occasion.

Twenty years ago, in case you have forgotten, the world changed. 1989 was the year that brought down the Berlin Wall, unraveled China at Tiananmen Square, emancipated Africa through Mandela, united Europe, universalized the World Wide Web and the Internet, and ended Soviet communism.

It was also the year the Philippine Air Force showed itself divided in a violent and bloody attempt to take power. After that, we would be on our own.

We have changed much since then, to the point of visible prudence every anniversary day. We have heeded the call of the times in support of fellow Filipinos. We have veered away from the gleam and glamour of the sun. And we have consciously taken on our role as wingmen to our countrymen.

In a sense, since 20 years ago, we have returned to truly roost. This is the reason we have adopted for our anniversary theme: "PAF at 62: Keeping in Step with the AFP, Aiming High and Soaring Strong for Peace and Development."

"Obsolescent" PAF?

But just a few days ago, during the Airpower Symposium at the PAF Museum, I was challenged in my capacity as Commanding General, by one beloved and respected speaker to do something bold and audacious yet. I was asked to declare the Philippine Air Force obsolescent.

I thereupon rose in the same way I stand today — to state the contrary. For your Air Force, a historical product of war, is now every wing and engine a child of peace, anxious to help, daring to save lives, and willing to embrace change.

We are more interested today in the issues that hold the nation together than break it apart, such as environmental protection, building roads and disaster response. And we are more concerned today in issues that threaten us in common such as senseless explosions of terror than in anything else.

Our common tragedy, however, is that ours, sadly, is a country driven and bled by conflicts. The flashpoints are too well-known, from Job and Basilan, across the Liguasan marshlands and the contested ancestral domains, up to the mountains of Isabela in Luzon. And the imperative to contain ever-shifting battle sites comes with our duty.

Operationally Responsive

For the record we have been pushing hard to develop ourselves for peace and development. In the not so distant past, we were able to rebuild our runways along with a record number of infrastructure repair projects. We have redefined and expanded our training programs, both for enlistedmen and officers, in new ways. We have latched on to the new CMO-driven ISO strategy of our Armed Forces. And our air engineers took the lead in many places in our country to effect our government's Kalayaan Barangays Program.

Still, from July 2008 to May 2009, because of the demands of internal security, we had to respond with over 14,000 ISO sorties. Those missions carried the stories of our soldiers engaged with the names now known to most of us, such as Umbra Kato Commander Bravo and faceless others. We are proud that despite our limited resources, we continued to produce our fair share of patriots and heroes — the best embodiments of whom stand today in our midst, identified, acknowledged, and properly honored.

But we are happier looking at the numbers flown mainly to help extend the needed lifelines for our communities: over 2,600 sorties for national development and over 850 flight missions for disaster relief. We get more engaged finding ways to employ our air assets for peace, instead of conflict. And our hearts beat stronger in the face of initiatives that promote airpower to better the lives of our fellowmen.

My dear friends, this is all to say that the Philippine Air Force is not obsolescent. Even as our assets had seen better times, we are soaring strong. Our fleet and our forces remain relevant. We are operationally responsive. We are mission-capable. And we care for all of you and for all fellow Filipinos. (Applause)

Apace with the AFP

We may have just turned 62 ( literally in human terms, a prime age for arthritis, diabetes and hypertension), but under God's protective wings, and through the constant regeneration and renewal of all airmen, the Philippine Air Force remains in high commission, in full throttle, in service to flag, country and people. And we aim to keep it that way as we rededicate ourselves today to the Philippine Air Force mission.

Mark this day. The Air Force will keep in step with the AFP and continue to aim high and soar strong in pursuit of peace and development.

Thank you for coming in warm force.

God bless our Philippine Air Force. God bless us all Maraming Salamat pos a inyong lahat.