Pinoys shine at West Point

WEST POINT, New York – It was a historic day for the Philippines at West Point over the weekend.

Christy Isis Achanzar became the first Filipina to receive a Bachelor of Science degree from America’s premier military academy, and Mario Feliciano was the highest ranked international cadet ever to graduate from West Point.

As if that were not enough, Feliciano graduated with honors in engineering management and placed 87th out of a graduating class of 995.

Achanzar bagged a number of awards including the Superintendent’s Achievement Award and the National Society Dames of the Court of Honor Award for excellence in electrical engineering sequence.

They were among 15 foreign cadets of class 2008 whose motto is “No Mission Too Great.”

After their graduation, Philippine embassy defense attaché, Army Col. Rolando Tenefrancia presented Achanzar and Feliciano their commissions as second lieutenants in the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

He described the pair as “the best of the best and a credit to the country and the AFP.”

“To the best of my knowledge they are the finest cadets we have ever sent to West Point,” said Tenefrancia who is due to return home soon at the end of a three-year posting to Washington DC to take command of a brigade.

Philippine Consul General New York Cecilia Rebong, one of several Filipino dignitaries at the graduation, said she was very proud of both cadets, but as a woman she was especially pleased at Achanzar’s achievement.

“I’m sure they’ll have a great career in front of them,” she said.

The graduation ceremony was held at the USMA football field on the banks of the Hudson River under a cloudy sky that gave way to rain before the traditional hat toss.

In addition to Achanzar and Feliciano about 10 Filipino Americans also graduated from West Point including Anthony Bulaclac Jr. of Victorville, California, Daniel Asia of Jersey City, New Jersey and Diana Alquero and Christine Limsiaco, both of Houston, Texas.

Bulaclac was born in Mindanao and moved to California when he was seven years old with his parents, Anthony and Pomben Bulaclac.

All three plan to go back to the Philippines for a three-week holiday later this month.

In an interview with The STAR, Feliciano said his dream is to become AFP chief of staff and president of the Philippines.

Not surprisingly his idol is former President Fidel Ramos, also a West Pointer.

Listening to him talk, one gets the feeling there is nothing he cannot do. He has his life planned out like a roadmap.

In contrast Achanzar, who hails from Davao City and is deeply religious, wants to take life one day at a time.

She doesn’t place too much stock on being the first Filipina West Point graduate.

“I don’t want to set goals and put pressure myself,” she said. “My only goal is to do my best and leave the rest to God.”

Her mother Asuncion is a lay apostolate and her father Ermine works for the Department of Environment and Natural Resources in Davao.

Feliciano, son of Rosauro Feliciano of Zamboanga and Iranian mother Nahid Mokhtarian, has lived in the Philippines less than two years, doesn’t look Filipino and barely speaks Tagalog. But he more than makes up for this with his professed nationalism.

“It does not matter if you don’t look Filipino or if you don’t speak the language well,” he said. “What matters is what you feel in your heart and I feel and I know that I am a Filipino.”

He describes himself in his web site as “born in Iran, raised in Kuwait, now a proud Filipino.”

“He has a very bright future ahead of him. Wherever he goes he’ll do well,” said Capt. Geraldo Peralta, Feliciano’s mentor at West Point.

“He has dreams of finding ways of making the Philippines a better country.”

Feliciano was made a regimental commander for the summer Cadet Field Training but could not hold on to the rank when the regular senior term began because as he explained, he is not an American.

The highest rank in the regular term he could obtain was that of regimental command Sergeant Major, one of the top 10 leadership positions in the Corps of Cadets.