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Speech of Lt General Oscar H Rabena AFP

CG, PAF

For Retirement of MG Flores and BG Paduganan

17 Jul 09

Amenities…

As you walk down towards the stage, an inconceivable feeling pervades; you know that this is the end, you know that the show is over and you know that in a matter of seconds, you are going to stand and bow in front of the audience and somehow, the question lingers if you did well enough to impress the people who watched the presentation. The thought of rejection is shivering, but who cares? So, the warrior spirit persisted and you remained calm, composed and more importantly, you are jovial…because you know in your heart that you gave them what they rightfully deserve, nothing more…. nothing less…. nothing else…A PERFORMANCE OF A LIFETIME!

That is actually what we saw in Greg Paduganan a while ago as he made his final remarks as a military officer of the Philippine Air Force.

The military service is like a stage play and we are all thespians eager to perform and deliver a compelling performance every time we take center stage. However, the military and the stage do not belong to the same league for obvious differences such as:

--First, real actors have to make do with a few hundred square meters of space, or even less, but for us; we have the whole battlefield acres across and thousands of feet of airspace to fathom;

--Second, most of the actors look well and dashing in their costumes; for us, we look better in our uniforms especially with all those awards and badges in place;

--Lastly, when the show is over, the cast of the show bow down as part of the curtain call; in our case, when everything has been said and done, we do not bow…we salute with pride the men and women who had accompanied us throughout our meaningful service in the military and thank them for sharing with us the most important part of our existence. That is what I saw in General Paduganan earlier.

Today, we give due respect and honor to two distinguished officers and gentlemen of the Philippine Air Force, both of them close friends and classmates, who had given most of their lives for the good of the service. We pay homage to their deeds, revere their enthusiasm to serve and thank them for being a part of the Philippine Air Force family. To Major General Alex Flores and Brigadier General Greg Paduganan, you will all be missed by the men and women of the Philippine Air Force especially those whom you nurtured, protected and served for more than three decades. Somehow, the only consolation, I believe, is the thought that you will still be in the midst, that your presence will still be felt by your peers and friends in the military service who will somehow seek your wisdom during casual and non-formal gatherings.

Retirement is a moving experience for every military serviceman.. It doesn’t only mean that the time has come to trade one’s military uniforms for civilian clothes, I hope it will be that easy, but as for me, it would be more fulfilling to bow out of the service knowing that you will leave a lasting legacy, served faithfully and that you were able to touch other people’s lives through your leadership.

Legacy

To etch your mark…to make a positive dent…to make a difference. As military officers, we have incessantly promoted and submitted ourselves to the advocacies of those above us. However, we are our own brand; we are our own self, we are our own making. We tailor fit our style of leadership not for any other reason but for legacy, a lasting legacy; a legacy that will be inherited and passed on to the next generation in the military service. This is our goal; this is what we aim for ; because as time goes by, everything changes but our legacy, will still remain, long after we are all gone.

Faithful Service

Faithful service is about commitment to duty. The same sentiment was echoed by General Dwight D Eisenhower during D-day, the Normandy landings in France on June 6 1944. During the height of this historic campaign, General Eisenhower said to his men, and I quote “You are about to embark upon the great crusade, toward which we have striven these many months. The eyes of the world are upon you... I have full confidence in your courage, devotion to duty and skill in battle. We will accept nothing less than full victory” unquote.

I admire officers, the way I admire these two fine gentlemen that we are honoring today, who have dedicated and sacrificed their lives to uphold peace, democracy and further initiatives towards development. Fidelity to the norms and values that appeal most to us comes at a price at times. Being faithful is to lead with righteous temperament and to ensure that we decide without biases and propensity to other’s interests. When you retire and you know that you served faithfully and morally, there is this unique and indescribable feeling that pervades, because you know in your heart that you played your part well, no matter how tough the role was, you triumphed and you were vindicated.

Touching other’s lives

One valuable lesson I learned is that our life is a worship. You devote your effort with the earnest desire to be of greater service to all the people under you. To worship is to “give worth to something”, to value and honor the men and women who serve and to give them dignity, respect and support. To touch other lives is to perform your duties with the fervent desire that the results will be for the good of the organization and betterment for the officers and men of the Philippine Air Force. The prominent figures of the 20^th century that we revere the most were mostly humanitarians, if you may noticed because they touched other people’s life by wielding power, influence and ideologies to advance the causes of the many. Mandela, Mother Teresa, Martin Luther King – they are just some of the most revered humanitarians that will never be forgotten and whose principles will be echoed perpetually.

To Major General Flores and Brigadier General Paduganan, you will bid farewell to the service knowing that you have served and touched other people’s lives. Alam n’yo po, si Maj Gen Alex Flores at si Gen Greg Paduganan, as I mentioned earlier, they are my classmates sa Philippine Air Force Flying School. I should say that the Class of 1979 of the Philippine Air Force Flying School, aside from holding the record of as the largest class ever to graduate in the history of the Philippine Air Force Flying School, if my memory serves me right, 72 of us graduated and a lot of the members now are general officers, of course, many are already in the civil aviation sector.

After graduation, we still maintained a tightly-knit bond, and the source of commission was never an issue. Every 15^th day of December – that is the date when we graduated from the Flying School, we hold a Christmas reunion, to rub elbows and reminisce, build a strong camaraderie that we have fostered through the years. Si Paddy is into more golf even in our student pilot days, kasama si Bottom at that is perhaps one of the reasons why I also followed him much, much later. Si Sir alex namanis very athletic kasama ni Jess, sila ‘yung mga magagaling sa basketball court. And in fact, miski ngayon, sila pa rin ang magagaling sa basketball.

Graduation was memorable because we became used to each others’ temperaments and attitudes that it was impossible for us to part ways. Padi and yours truly became Instructor Pilots, and of course, Gen Flores went to 205^th Helicopter Wing, si Jess naman went to the 240^th Composite Wing. Despite it all, we maintained a bond and we maintained it strong, tight, that held us united as members of Air Force Flying School Class of 1979.

Later on, General Flores and Gen Paduganan served the same unit as Wing Commander and Deputy Wing Commander respectively and they both did excellently during their stint in those positions.

So to both of you , my dear classmates, you deserve the accolade and best wishes of the men and women of the Philippine Air Force. I wish I could say more to give justice to your service which lasted for more than three decades. Your memories and contributions will remain with us and occupy the choicest places in our hearts, especially with the ones whose lives you have touched. Thank you very much …thank you, sincerely.

Conclusion

Before I end, it is quite interesting that one of the definitions tendered by Oxford and even by Webster as to the word retirement is “seclusion”. This, I believe, is partially true or untrue especially in the case of retiring military officers for retirement really, is the best time to be in the company of family, loved ones and long-lost friends. And I’m sure that Alex and Greg will not be totally out of circulation and I do hope that every time we will have our reunion you will be around to join us. On a profound level, it is also the best time to strengthen our spiritual side and seek improvement from within. You have "worked’ a lot through rigid physical regimen and now, it is time to "work in", to fortify your spiritual being. I know that both of you are actually very efficient in this aspect. As they say, the secret to happy life is to count your blessings not the number of years. More so, in the book of proverbs it says, and I quote," My child, never forget the things I have taught you. Store my commands in your heart, for they will give you long and satisfying life."unquote.

Before I forget, I am worried but not really worried that your wife may find your presence a little uncomfortable if not annoying. She’s not used to seeing you everyday at home. Mas sanay sila na wala kayo o wala tayo. I suggest that you adjust with her tantrums, temperaments and constant whining. In time, she will get used to the fact that the man of the house is back and back for good!

Again, to Major General Alexander Flores and to my mistah, Brigadier General Greg Paduganan, I wish the two of you, all the best that life has to offer. Thank you for serving the Philippine Air Force, the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Filipino people! Mabuhay kayo, mabuhay ang Philippine Air Force! Mabuhay ang Armed Forces of the Philippines . Mabuhay ang sambayanang Pilipino.God bless us all. Good afternoon to everyone.