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“Managing the PAF’s Prime Assets”

Remarks of Lt General Oscar H Rabena AFP CG, PAF

PAF PMC Anniversary, 23 Nov 09

Amenities…

Well, it is so good to see all of you in this very important occasion. The first is always sweet, the second is always better because you get to learn a lot from the first AND SEEING YOU ALL MAKES ME BELIEVE THAT YOU HAVE GROWN IMMENSELY AS A UNIT. Of course, Colonel Milan who led the many accomplishments of this Center where he was able to get the right people to the job.

Anyway, the key to the development and growth of any organization is its ability to cope with the challenges presented by the ever-changing realities of history. The ability to address the issues and problems that it confronts is the one thing that has differentiated success from failure. With the mandate and scope of responsibilities being carried by the Philippine Air Force, the failure and inability to cope is never an option. Our responsibilities are far greater that we cannot in any way, let our guards down.

The armed forces organization structure is said to be experiencing the so-called “tempo problems”. These problems emanate from personnel requirements and demands that we have to fill in to achieve our mission in our areas all over the archipelago. And personnel managers need to step up and be aware that we need to be prepared to the challenges as far as these matters are concerned. These so-called “tempo problems” has three manifestations:

First, we have the PERSONNEL TEMPO which directs movement of people from one assignment to the other in order to meet the demands of their respective career development and also to address the personnel requirements of the units.

Next, when commanders are determined to have a well-trained unit or concerned about having a successful command. They tend to overwhelm their people; it is called WORK TEMPO.

And third is DEPLOYMENT TEMPO. It happens when people are deployed to meet operational or training demands.

We are definitely not spared from these “tempo problems”. However, what sets the Philippine Air Force apart is the fact that we are bent on correcting it or addressing it. We are continuously working on enhancing our personnel administration to cope with these problems and meet squarely the demands of the changing times. Luckily for us, we have the Philippine Air Force Personnel Management Center, who, based from the unit’s previous year’s accomplishments, is doing its job remarkably well in providing effective and efficient personnel management system in support of our Air Force mission in order to address these so-called “tempo problems”. Thus, it is really a pleasure to join the officers, enlisted personnel and civilian employees of PAFPMC, headed by your very able Commanding Officer, Colonel “Ric” Milan, as you celebrate your 2^nd foundation anniversary today. Congratulations sa inyong lahat at palakpakin natin ang mga magigiting na personnel ng PAFPMC.

May I specially congratulate the awardees: 2Lt Umaguing, TSg Magnaye and Mrs Mascareñas. They are the Officer of the Year, EP of the Year and Civilian Employee of the Year, respectively. You are concrete inspirations for this unit and the whole Air Force to emulate and follow. I fully expect that you will not rest on your laurels but strive even harder to contribute to your unit’s mission in order for it to reach higher grounds. Let us give our awardees another round of applause!

If truth be told, though we have our OA-1 that has the bulk of the work when it comes to our personnel, the PAFPMC is the forefront and has a special role of placing the right man in the right job at the right time. And to be able to sustain it, one thing that I have learned from studying personnel administration is that, managerial practices must keep pace with the changing workforce.

Through time, I have come to recognize and appreciate the wisdom behind this tenet. Our workforce today are better educated, their values and basic habit and understanding of commitment are drastically different from before. And we have to embrace these changes in order to evolve as a better organization.

And I believe that it is always important to communicate, explain and remind our personnel, every now and then, those issues that affect them. Misinformation is not healthy and I do believe that this can be negated if we will constantly remind our men and women career-wise. Otherwise, we will lose our best and brightest talents; those that hold the answer to the future of the Air Force.

When it comes to changes, I know that some, if not most are wary about this. When I say change, what I am trying to point out is the nature of our toil, that is to be displaced and be assigned elsewhere for career advancement and for the good of our organization. Change is a part of our labor, aside from the reality that it is the most constant thing in this world, its purpose really is not to displace people or remove them from their comfort zones. On the contrary, it is to enable each personnel to elevate his capabilities further by exposing him to the different trades available in the Air Force. THIS STRATEGY IS NOT MEANT TO THREATEN; BUT TO STRENGTHEN US, and you, the men and women of the Philippine Air Force P—M—C, you are in the forefront of this endeavor.

In order for our organization to grow, each and every one of us must take a step forward in tandem with the imperatives of the command. I need you to support me in taking this crucial stride not only to improve the command but also to help all of you, help yourselves to become better …and better… and better and be your best.

Gone are the days when one or two core competency is enough to function, to be productive and to make a difference. With the merging of globalization, technology, mobility, migration, mass communication and culture, the premium now is on everybody's ability to adapt. I FULLY BELIEVE IN IT. I BELIEVE IN AN ENABLING COMMAND. I BELIEVE IN OUR POWER AND CAPACITY TO CHANGE FOR THE BETTER. I BELIEVE THAT WE CAN ALL DO IT BY INTERNALIZING AND PRACTICING VALUES LIKE our IN-STEP AS APTLY UNDERSCORED IN YOUR ANNIVERSARY THEME: “Keeping In-STEP through Effective and Efficient Personnel Management.”

If we want our command to be more dynamic, we have to be flexible. To be successful, we need to believe that apparently intractable problems can be solved; that we have to nurture an unwavering focus on outcomes, that we must see things all the way through until change for the better becomes irreversible. So, at no other time have your roles as our personnel managers been more crucial. Please carry on taking good care of the Philippine Air Force’s prime asset – OUR PERSONNEL.

Again, that dynamism should reverberate through our efforts to nurture the AIRMAN. To put it simply, we can make this happen by recognizing that:

PEOPLE ARE OUR BEST ASSETS; and we have to

MANAGE THEIR CAREERS WITH ARDENT DEDICATION and;

CHAMPION THEIR CAUSE BECAUSE THE FUTURE OF THE AIR FORCE IS AT THE PALM OF THEIR HANDS!

Again, I urge you to do your job, to do it well, but I think that you – we can be more successful if we do our job with our core values with Integrity, Service above self, Teamwork Excellence in everything we do and Professionalism Once we internalized these core values, we can actually make a difference, you can be an influence in the lives of many and in the organization

Thank you for this opportunity of being with you in this important occasion. Once again, congratulations to all our awardees and happy anniversary to all of you!

Mabuhay kayong lahat!

God bless the Philippine Air Force Personnel Management Center, God bless the Philippine Air Force. . Good afternoon to all of you and thank you.