00:00This morning, I asked that the 127th anniversary be a working visit for the Chief of Staff
00:09and myself.
00:10We heard the initiatives earlier that the PMAA is undertaking to keep in step with the needs
00:19of the Air Forces of the Philippines and the Defense Establishment, and with due regard
00:26to advances in technology and other developments in the geopolitical landscape.
00:33This work started when we formulated the enhanced defense posture, deterrent posture rather,
00:42of the Defense Establishment, principally the Armed Forces of the Philippines, and it resulted
00:50in the comprehensive archipelagic defense concept.
00:53We sat down with then Superintendent, Rowen Tolentino, to discuss the way forward on how
01:01we can produce deployable, ready, and competent officers in the respective branches of service
01:13that the graduates will be joining in the future.
01:20And in so doing, the first phase was the enhanced curriculum that Vice Admiral Valencia expounded
01:30on earlier.
01:34We have a pool of talent that is undeniably capable of absorbing much.
01:42What we need to provide is the environment and the capacity to shape this pool of talent into
01:53future officers, future leaders, and future decision makers of the armed forces of the Philippines,
02:06or perhaps even in other branches of the government or the private sector depending on the career path.
02:16And in so doing, we must realize also that they are not the sole source of officers that
02:29we need for the armed forces.
02:31And in fact, the challenge is how to mitigate the gap between generalists who graduate here with the specialized
02:45skills that is needed for a 21st or 22nd century armed force of the Philippines.
02:57We have been busy with the chief of staff creating the institutions which will absorb specialized
03:09career tracks which we need to manage complex systems, to enter into asymmetric situations, to
03:21be able to analyze and predict phenomena, and to digest variables which may think are chaotic,
03:33but we need to manage and to deal with.
03:38And most importantly, we need to create a future ready force that will deter, and I stress deter,
03:50any attempt to disrupt the peace and prosperity of the Republic of the Philippines and any of its citizens.
04:02And in this, we will need multidisciplinary skills, networking with a lot of organizations,
04:12without forgetting the operationally secure requirements that we are operating in.
04:18And in so doing, I have instructed the chief of staff and Admiral Valencia to enter into the
04:28arrangements with the Philippine Coast Guard to accept a limited number of cadets that will, upon graduation,
04:44be commissioned as officers in the Philippine Coast Guard, given the fact that
04:58we operate very closely and jointly with them, and therefore interoperability is essential,
05:08and knowledge of each other's skills is a civic one-off for seamless operations in the maritime domain.
05:22Lastly, we have also to leverage the goodwill that our country has in partnerships with,
05:34not only service or military academies of like-minded and partner nations,
05:40but also educational institutions which can build upon the basic education that you receive here,
05:52and the basic grounding you receive here in order for you to specialize as you proceed on your military journey.
06:04The traditional career paths that we know may not be valid anymore today.
06:12Increasing specialization is the name of the game.
06:16And specialization is a continuing slope, upward slope, because new situations constantly evolve,
06:30and the learning curve is always steep, particularly for an armed force that must be ready to act if deterrence fails.
06:44You have to be ahead of the curve, and we must mitigate the gaps as we see them, which is why right after this gathering,
06:58we will immediately adjourn to conference with the staff, the leadership and the staff of the PMA,
07:12the PMA staff of us, camp administrators of Fort Del Pilar with the OCD, for proper land use of the real estate assets of Fort Del Pilar,
07:30for enhancements of the infrastructure that we see in Fort Del Pilar, of which I also enjoy the PMAAAI,
07:44to join hands in purposeful enhancements to the facilities that will be constructed here.
07:56in order for us to have sustainable, maintainable, and functional infrastructure within Fort Del Pilar.
08:08So, the challenge for us, in the higher leadership of the AFP and Defense Department,
08:20is to pave the way for opportunities, career tracks, and well-being for each and every member of the Cadet Corps,
08:34and each and every member of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, and each and every veteran, retiree,
08:46especially those who have served with distinction and have left their loved ones with no one to care for them.
08:58That is the President's instructions. Those are the President's marching orders to myself, to the Chief of Staff, and to the PMA leadership.
09:12The problem is we are, have a constraint of time. And so that I do not, am not misinterpreted, I do not mean the inevitability of conflict.
09:26But time in a race to shape our armed forces into a future ready armed force.
09:38The race is fast, the race is competitive, the race is expensive, and we have to join that race.
09:50We are to remain relevant and dignified as a sovereign republic of the Philippines.
09:59There are no ifs and no buts about that. A strong defense establishment. A strong armed force. A ready armed force.
10:12And readiness is not a constant. Readiness is a variable. And the only constant in readiness is its continuous evolution.
10:24What is variable is the pace of evolution on how fast or how slow you go about it.
10:33In those situations, in this situation, we totally support the initiatives of the Philippine Military Academy.
10:46We count on each and every member of the PMA family, including our Cadet Corps to rise up to the challenge.
10:59Do not be complacent. To strive for higher excellence because you will be competing not only with your domestic peers.
11:09We will pit you against your foreign counterparts. And we are relying on you to raise the flag as a mark of Filipino pride and distinction.
11:26Not only in this region, because our allies are not only in this region, but throughout the world.
11:35So that the Filipino brand name of military professionalism, leadership, competence, and excellence is marked on each and every one in the world.
11:49And that is the best deterrent against any oppressor that wants to take advantage of this country.
11:57With that, I thank you very much for this opportunity. Magandang umaga po sa inyong lahat.
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