MANILA, Philippines — President Marcos attended yesterday the Philippine Military Academy (PMA)’s alumni homecoming, his first as the country’s commander-in-chief.
The President led the conferment of awards to the Lifetime Achievement Awardees, Cavalier Awardees, Cavalier Pandemic Heroes Awardees and the 2023 PMA Jubilarians in a ceremony at the PMA Grandstand at Fort General Gregorio del Pilar, Baguio City.
Seven members of former president Rodrigo Duterte’s Cabinet received the Cavalier Pandemic Heroes Award for their exemplary performance during the COVID-19 crisis.
They were former environment secretary Roy Cimatu (Class ’70), former information and communication technology secretary Gregorio Honasan (Class ’71), former defense secretary Delfin Lorenzana (Class ’73), former contact tracing czar Benjamin Magalong (Class ’82), former interior secretary Eduardo Año (Class ’83), former vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. (Class ’85) and former social welfare secretary Joselito Bautista (Class ’85).
“I am aware that some of you have continued your service in the private sector, while others have remained in government. And I hope in whatever capacity you serve, you continue to lead a life of service beyond self – an ethos we can attribute to a premier institution such as the Philippine Military Academy,” Marcos said in his speech.
Marcos appointed Galvez as secretary of the Department of National Defense, while Año was designated as national security adviser.
He has named Lorenzana as chairman of the Bases Conversion and Development Authority.
Marcos also officiated the oath-taking of the Philippine Military Academy Alumni Association Inc. Board of Directors and new officers.
Marcos is an adopted member of PMA Class of 1979.
At the same event, Marcos witnessed the conferment of lifetime achievement awards on three cavaliers “in recognition of their more than 50 years of dedicated, exemplary and unblemished service to the country” and “characterized by their faithful adherence to the virtues of courage, loyalty and integrity.”
Marcos expressed hope the awardees’ exemplary work be emulated and ignite a desire for service among young cadets.
“Inspire them once more to become leaders of character. Stay true to the ideals and values – such as integrity, service before self and professionalism – that you have gained from the Academy that everyone should innately possess as public servants,” he said.
“Rest assured that this government – together with the Filipino people – are with you as we march forward towards achieving a safer, more peaceful, more progressive Philippines,” he said.
In a speech last December, Marcos vowed to modernize the country’s military and strengthen defense cooperation with its allies in light of new security challenges that “do not recognize borders.”
The PMA is the country’s premiere military institution and training ground for aspiring future officers of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
‘Green technologies’
Marcos stressed his government’s policy of protecting the environment is clearly into consciously thinking about being green.
When asked by reporters before leaving Fort del Pilar on his policy direction towards the environment, Marcos maintained that the country’s economic managers are steering the economy towards “green technologies” and moving the production of power towards renewables.
“All our forest cover is important and must remain,” the President declared, pointing to preserving the Cordillera region, touted as the watershed cradle of the North, which is also his home.
Marcos went on to point out the Philippines falling into the category of a “carbon sink country” because of its forest cover.
He said, “that is a very valuable asset of the Philippines.”
Marcos further pointed out that the country’s forest cover can be monetized. “You can give it now a peso value, a dollar value, so that we can take advantage of being more active in promoting, monitoring, regulating and encouraging the care of our forest cover and all our environmental assets. It is very, very important.”
The President also explained, “mining is an important part of our plans for the economy, however, it’s clear that we do not want some of the incidents we saw in the past few years to happen again.”
Marcos further stressed, “It is really a question of enforcing the law in terms of responsible mining. That is what we will continue to do. We will always make sure that mining companies who come in, once they are finished mining, they leave the site in the same condition as it was when they found it.”