New PAF chief Edgar Fallorina: We must retool amid sea disputes

FERNANDO AIR BASE, Batangas — With the developing regional landscape in the South China Sea, the new Philippine Air Force chief sees the need to constantly “retool” itself.

“We in the Air Force need to continuously change and transform for where before we use to employ traditional methods. Today we must retool for asymmetric challenges, where before we use our force at any cause, today we must relearn to fly and fight so that we won’t unnecessarily lose our force,” Lt. Gen. Edgar Fallorina said in his assumption speech on Wednesday.

The new commanding general of the Air Force said there are significant changes in the country at hand.

“This year happens to mark the period of our national elections. This year marks, too, the handing down of the United Nations arbitral tribunal’s decision. This year is bound to see a jump in activities in our conflicted domains, particularly in the cyber and air domains and in the maritime areas,” he said.

He added that there will also be changes in the leadership transition within and outside the organization, as well as redirection of international defense and security engagements.

Fallorina said the security environment “has unravelled in ways we have never imagined and the country is “seeing strange landscapes and activities probing and pressing on our sense of collective security.”

President Benigno Aquino III appointed Fallorina as the 34th commanding general of the Philippine Air Force. He replaced Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Delgado who served for almost two years.

Delgado was supposed to retire on March 20 but it was his personal choice to step down a few days ahead in order for the President to choose his successor ahead of the election ban on appointments.

Fallorina had “attention detail” according to the President: “Sa dami nga raw ng dumadaan sa kanyang papeles kada araw bilang AFP Deputy Chief of Staff, maski maliit na salita, maling punctuation mark o spacing, hindi nakakalagpas nang hindi naitatama. Ang kanyang prinsipyo: Maikintal sa puso’t isip ng bawat kawani, kawal o opisyal, ang halaga ng paggawa ng tama sa bawat pagkakataon at sa bawat antas ng institusyon.”

Aquino also challenged the new Air Force chief to lead a peaceful elections this May.

“A iyong liderato, inaasahan ko gagampanan ng buong hukbo ang inyong tungkulin, batay sa inaasahan sa inyo ng sambayanan, at bilang mga alagad ng demokrasya; kompiyansa akong maisasagawa natin ang isang tapat, payapa, at matiwasay na eleksyon ngayong taon.” TVJ