Armed Forces of the Philippines chief of staff Lt. Gen. Bartolome Vicente Bacarro. Photo Courtesy of Southern Luzon Command, AFP/Facebook Page
MANILA, Philippines — Lt. Gen. Bartolome Vicente Bacarro officially assumed Monday his post as chief of staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).
In his speech, Bacarro outlined the priorities of his leadership by using the acronym of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.’s call during the presidential campaign: Unity.
“Unparalleled professionalism. Noble utilization of resources. Invigorating capability development. Tenacity in sustaining our gains. Yearning for Service Excellence,” Bacarro said during the AFP change of command ceremony at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City.
Among Bacarro’s promises is to monitor projects under the AFP Modernization Program.
“Aligned with our modernization efforts, we will carefully monitor our acquisition based on upgrade tranche. We will facilitate this new and upcoming capabilities ensuring that the delivery and related processes are followed to the dot,” Bacarro said.
Bacarro previously led the AFP-Southern Luzon Command.
He graduated in the upper quartile of the Philippine Military Academy “Maringal” Class of 1988.
Bacarro is the first chief-of-staff of the AFP to be given a fixed three-year term, citing the Republic Act No. 11709 signed by former President Rodrigo Duterte.
R.A. 11709 sets a fixed three-year tour of duty for the AFP chief of staff, vice chief of staff, the deputy chief of staff, the major service commanders, unified command commanders, and inspector general “unless sooner terminated by the President.”
Bacarro, received the country’s highest military award for combat, the Medal of Valor, after leading an operation to repel a communist guerrilla attack in Isabela in 1991.