President Benigno S. Aquino III on Friday led the change of
command of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) in Camp General Emilio
Aguinaldo in Quezon City
Outgoing AFP Chief of Staff, General Gregorio Pio Capatang
Jr., passed the armed forces leadership to Philippine Army Commanding General,
Lieutenant General Hernando Delfin Carmelo Iriberri.
During the ceremony, held at the Tejeros Hall of the AFP
Commissioned Officer’s Club in Camp
Aguinaldo
In his speech, President Aquino recalled the first time he
met General Catapang as an officer who stood against the dictatorship of former
President Ferdinand Marcos.
“Naaalala ko nga po nang una ko siyang makilala noong
panahon ng EDSA revolution: Isa siya sa mga pumanig sa ating mamamayan imbes na
magtanggol sa diktador,” he said.
The President noted that Catapang’s experience after serving
a tour of duty in Mindanao; leading the 7th Infantry Division of the Northern
Luzon Command; and serving as Vice Chief of Staff the AFP, gave him the skills
and deep understanding of the plight of the country’s uniformed men and women
that made him qualify to lead the AFP.
“Hindi po niya tayo binigo. Sa katunayan, lampas-lampas pa
sa ating inaasahan ang ibinigay niya sa atin,” he said, citing Catapang’s role
in implementing the Internal Peace and Security Plan Bayanihan; in honing the
disaster preparedness of troops; in keeping the peacekeepers in Golan Heights
safe during the so-called “The Greatest Escape”; in maintaining the good
relations between the military and the police following the Mamasapano
incident; and in neutralizing high-value targets, among them leaders of the
Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters Basit Usman, Mohamad Ali Tambako, and
Abdulgani Esmael Pagao, as well as New People’s Army Commander Parago.
For his part, General Catapang said in his valedictory
address that it has been an “amazing journey, full of ups and downs.”
“Tomorrow, as I step into civilian life, I will awake to a
new dawn fulfilled and humbled, knowing that I leave behind a stronger, more
credible and more stable armed forces,” he said.
Catapang acknowledged his wife, Vilma, and their children
for their support. He also thanked the President and Defense Secretary Voltaire
Gazmin for their “trust and vote of confidence” in him.
Also present during the ceremony were former President Fidel
Ramos, former Chiefs of Staff, former defense secretaries, lawmakers, members
of the Diplomatic Corps, and Foreign Armed Forces attachés.
http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=1&sid=&nid=1&rid=781479
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