MANILA, Philippines -- (UPDATE) The new commanding general of the Philippine Air Force (PAF), Major General Oscar Rabena, assumed his post on Friday, vowing to instill a "planning mindset" in the troops to prepare them not only for success, but for failure as well.

"I'm counting on Team Air Force not only in propagating an aura of culture, but in developing a planning mindset, one that takes into account everything that needs to be done for a given period and anticipates blind spots," Rabena said in his assumption speech.

"I feel strongly about the need for every Air Force officer and even NCO [non-commissioned officer] to know how to plan for failure," he said.

Rabena said planning was more important to the PAF given its "meager" resources.

Rabena is an alumnus of the Philippine Military Academy's "Makatarungan" Class of 1978. President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is adopted member or "mistah" of the class.

He took over from Lieutenant General Pedrito Cadungog in change of command ceremonies at the PAF headquarters in Villamor Airbase on Friday afternoon.

In his valedictory address, Cadungog lauded airmen for their key role in disaster relief missions. During his term, he said PAF aircraft logged 1,000 flying hours to deliver one billion pounds of relief goods and rescue 600 disaster victims.

Cadungog oversaw rescue and relief operations for victims of typhoon "Frank" (international codename: Fengshen), which ravaged the Central Philippines in July 2008, and cyclone "Nargis," which devastated Myanmar.

Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. presided over the turnover ceremonies.

Among those present were Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief of staff General Alexander Yano, AFP vice chief of staff Lieutenant General Cardozo Luna, AFP deputy chief of staff Lieutenant General Rodrigo Maclang, Army chief Lieutenant General Victor Ibrado, and Navy chief Vice Admiral Ferdinand Golez.

Before he was named PAF commanding general, Rabena was AFP deputy chief for plans and programs, or J5. His replacement was not immediately known.

Arroyo had earlier appointed her adoptive PMA classmates to plum military positions -- Southern Luzon Command (Solcom) chief Lieutenant General Delfin Bangit, Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (ISAFP) chief Brigadier General Romeo Prestoza, and Presidential Security Group (PSG) chief Brigadier General Celedonio Boquiren.

Another adopted "mistah" of PMA 1978 is detained Brigadier General Danilo Lim, a graduate of the United States military academy in West Point.

Lim, former commander of the elite Army Scout Rangers, is part of a group of officers facing civilian and court martial charges for failed attempts to unseat Arroyo in February 2006 and November 2007.