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Candor Dat Viribus Alas

(Sincerity Gives Wings to Strength)

Speech of Lt General Oscar H Rabena AFP

SPOW Anniversary 10 July 2009

Amenities…

Insurgency has distorted, undermined and destroyed the ideal face of the society where we exist. There are countless dirty tricks and tactics employed by terrorist organizations who mask themselves on seemingly impeccable cause; hide their pretenses on false ideologies but the truth of the matter, the whole scheme serves only a distinct few, if not their vested interest. Ladies and gentlemen, the challenges before us are far more complex than we could ever imagine, but are we up to the challenge? Yes! Because the inexorable fighting spirit of every airman; of every member of this elite unit, the Special Operations Wing, will never wane as long as there are those who will weaken the cornerstones of peace, freedom and democracy. Palakpakan natin ang mga tauhan ng 710^th SPOW. Tis attributes of Integrity, service, teamwork, excellence and professionalism will always rekindle the undaunted heart to pursue with great zeal the thrusts onwards an operationally responsive Philippine Air Force that is a catalyst to peace; and a steady partner in national development.

I am glad to stand before you today. It gives me great pride and joy to be with you in this festive occasion--the 18^th anniversary of the 710^th Special Operations Wing. And as what your Wing Commander has mentioned, 18 years is always significant in our society. This is your day, you all shine the brightest as force multipliers in our pursuit to decimate insurgency and be victors in the AFP’s internal security operations. You all made me proud, and you deserve my felicitations for a job well done; for the undying commitment to serve God, Country and people. From the bottom of my heart, I thank you all for your service to the nation.

However, as I always say, the fight is not yet over. We have yet to reap the rewards of the painstaking labor and sacrifice exhausted by each and every officer and men belonging to this unit; for the road to peace has always been difficult to tread; the challenges are by far numerous and at times multifaceted; but it will not deter us in our strong desire to serve our countrymen and vindicate the contributions of our forebears, especially those who have fallen in the fight to ensure that we breath the air of democracy and sovereignty. As I said earlier, the breadth of insurgency, including terrorism, has negatively impacted the lives of our people. Women and children are being used as pawns to further false creeds and serve the interest of the few.

As soldiers of our people, we cannot allow insurgency to have categorical consequences that would affect the existence of our society.. As men in uniform, our duties are far more diverse than what it used to be. We exist not only to forge a tranquil environment but also, to make sure that its effects are lasting. To preserve this lasting legacy is to recognize the importance of upholding the future. To ensure this, it is highly important that we maintain the initiatives, sustain the accomplishments and regain the confidence of the populace; in order to dampen and absorb the impact of insurgency and terrorism in our society; and save the lives of the many, especially the young and our women, who cling to us for support and a brighter hope ahead. And as your Wing Commander had mentioned, you have indeed, accomplished much during this anniversary year not only in combat operations but in CMO as well.

Maintain the Initiatives

You have done well the past year, especially in stability operations through various initiatives that evolve around C—M—O. While we distinguish ourselves in the combat arena, there is an even greater and lasting effect to the populace if we will pursue and maintain initiatives that will build lives rather than destroy; seek wisdom rather than ignorance and bridge the gap to peace rather than see it crumble into pieces. Your anniversary theme, “Keeping InSTEP with the PAF, for Peace, Stability and Development”, is a commitment to maintain and continue the initiatives that you have started 18 summers ago.

The solution to insurgency and terrorism has leaned towards the development of communities to avert terrorist organizations from recruiting and persuading the naïve and less educated masses in remote areas of the country. We cannot allow the recruitment to ensue, thus, we need to intensify our efforts to educate the populace and make them know that the consequences of treading across the path of insurgency is more dangerous and futile; rather than the safer, steady and firm road of peace and development. The “Warrior educator” concept should be embedded and deeply ingrained in your hearts because the road to peace cannot always find refuge and meaning in armed confrontations; but in the peaceful confines of makeshift classrooms that will harness the understanding of the masses especially the young members of our communities who will inherit the kind of environment that we will build. This can be done. I have faith in your capacity. I have faith in the Airman. And you are the ones who are out there who are in touch with our people.

Sustain the accomplishments

I’ve mentioned earlier in my speech that insurgency and terrorism weaken the society that we dear the most. To sow fear, terror and maim the weak and the helpless; are cowardly deeds that are characteristics of insurgents and terrorists. So, in sustaining the accomplishments is to prevent our enemies from winning; in sustaining the accomplishments is to promote the P—A—F as a committed force to tranquility and progress; in sustaining the accomplishments is to make certain that we build a future that is bright for our children and our children’s children.

To do this, we have to direct resources to where they are specifically needed. While we focus on ground operations, it pays to put forth an equal amount of force and attention to nation building activities. While we are up in arms against the rebel forces, we make sure that we reach out to communities affected by the current military operations. In this way, we will be more than effective in upholding the AFP’s internal security operations initiatives; we can also assure that we gain the sympathy of our civilian brothers. This does not necessarily mean that we pay more attention to CMO related activities but in bringing the hearts of populace to the AFP is to create a strong bond where we can communicate well with leaders and assure them that we are here to be of service, that we care; that we recognize their needs-- to be educated, be protected and be given the chance to live a decent and normal life.

Regain the Confidence

Again, allow me to congratulate all of you for spearheading community-related and nation building initiatives. I have witnessed this while we we had our civic action in San juan, Batangas. Medical/dental missions, treeplanting, environmental protection, initiatives that help schools, white area operations; these activities are highly commendable because these are necessary steps to regain the confidence of the masses and shut entirely the door of opportunity to the clout of insurgency. However, be mindful that there are still unexplored areas where the echo of an Air Force organization that cares has not yet been heard. I therefore suggest that we map out other areas of opportunity where there is great potential for development in order to negate the influences of the rebel forces. Help the populace and project a positive image that will forever be etched in their hearts and minds. In so doing, you reverberate our sincerity and our earnestness to uplift their condition through thrust that secure and schemes that progress their existence.

“Candor dat viribus alas”—sincerity gives wings to strength; our earnestness as advocates of peace and development empowers us all the more as we look onwards better opportunities and accomplishments. Remember, we can get it done by maintaining the thrusts, sustaining the accomplishments and regaining the glory by bringing back the confidence of the people.

As I end, I chanced upon excerpts of an unpublished draft of a hymn written for a unit of the Philippine Air Force. It read:

“in every threat we do our best;

we always live up to the test;

no one, nothing can stop us;

We’re the mighty Air Force family”

Live up to the creeds of InSTEP, help us forge and promote the organization that is not only responsive to peace but a solid and strong partner in nation-building.

Lastly, we should be blissful that we are at the centerpiece in preserving peace and harmony. Why? The scripture says, “God blesses those who work for PEACE, for they will be called, CHILDREN OF GOD!”

Thank you for the honor. Thank you for the service. Happy 18^th Anniversary! To God be the Glory!

Mabuhay kayong lahat!