Two Air Force ‘ace pilots’ get new stars
Lt Col Harold “Harry” M Cabunoc (Inf) PA. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines—Two officers of the Philippine Air Force are set to receive new metal duds on their shoulders on Friday as they go up the ranks inside the Armed Forces of the Philippines, an official said Thursday afternoon.
Brigadier General Raul Del Rosario, recognized as one of the top soldiers in 2011, will receive his second star and be promoted to the rank of Major General while Colonel Guillermo Molina Jr. will get his first star and become a Brigadier General during their promotion ceremonies on Camp Aguinaldo.
General Gregorio Pio Catapang, AFP Chief of Staff, will preside over the ceremony.
“Both officers are respected leaders and ace pilots of the Air Force,” Lieutenant Colonel Harold Cabunoc, AFP Public Affairs Office Chief, said.
A native son of Nueva Ecija, Del Rosario was a member of the 1984 “Maharlika” Class of the Philippine Military Academy and was one of the winners of The Outstanding Philippine Soldiers (TOPS) 2011.
He was commended for his skills in the field of military intelligence and counterintelligence, especially in his military and combat missions that discovered armed formations in Mischief Reef and Kalayaan Island in 1994.
Forward to 1997, Del Rosario provided photographs of a Chinese flotilla in battle formation inside Philippine territories that forced China to recall its vessels.
Apart from his operations in the disputed waters, the current Deputy Chief of Staff for Plans of the PAF supervised the mission that neutralized Abu Sayyaf sub-leader Bader Parad along with five other Abu Sayyaf members.
“The promotions are part of a soldier’s progressive military career,” Cabunoc said. “The new star on their shoulders represents a bigger responsibility in line with their duty as senior leaders of the AFP.”
Molina, meanwhile, would take upon the role Deputy Commander of Western Command in Palawan.
A member of the 1986 “Sinagtala” Class of the PMA, Molina was the former Assistant Chief of Air Staff for Plans and Commander of Tactical Operations Group 5.
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