PMA Cavaliers say we’re men of war for peace

ZAMBALES Gov. Hermogenes Ebdane Jr., a member of Philippine Military Academy (PMA) Class of 1970, receives the coveted Cavalier Award for Public Administration during rites at the PMA anniversary. The award is given to PMA alumni who excel in their fields. EV ESPIRITU/INQUIRER NORTHERN LUZON

FORT DEL PILAR, Baguio City—Sacrifice and acts of valor should inspire graduates of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) to pursue peace, a former Armed Forces of the Philippines chief of staff said during the PMA homecoming last week.

Undersecretary Eduardo Oban Jr., executive director of the Presidential Commission on the Visiting Forces Agreement, said “men of arms” had died in defense of the country, during many periods of atrocities in Mindanao, the latest of which involved the deaths of 44 Special Action Force commandos in Mamasapano, Maguindanao province, last month.

“We convulse at the thought [that] too many lives have been lost but the greatest casualty here is the peace we altogether seek,” Oban, a member of PMA “Matapat” Class of 1979, said in a speech he gave to the alumni.

He said the government had been battered by outcries for justice and retaliation, but soldiers would prefer to respond with a little more common sense.

“As men of arms, we act with extreme restraint because it does not take too much to fuel our outrage and muster men in combat, than to lead our fellowmen in the more intricate role for peace,” Oban said.

As in previous events, this year’s homecoming honored outstanding members.

Zambales Gov. Hermogenes Ebdane Jr., a member of PMA Class of 1970, is 2015 Cavalier Awardee for Public Administration. He was a former Philippine National Police chief, former national security adviser and headed three agencies under the former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo—the Department of Public Works and Highways, Department of National Defense and  Department of the Interior and Local Government.

Retired Senior Supt. Wilfred Nicolas, a member of PMA Class of 1965, is 2015 Cavalier Awardee for Private Enterprise. Nicolas chairs the board of Northwestern University in Laoag City and was honored for leading the university’s goal of producing world-class citizens, according to a PMA fact sheet.

Army Lt. Gen. Felicito Virgilio Trinidad Jr. is the Cavalier Awardee for Command and Administration. A member of PMA Class of 1982, he heads the military’s Northern Luzon Command.

Army Col. Danilo Pamonag, a member of PMA Class of 1985, is the 2015 Cavalier Awardee for Army Operations, for his role in repelling the September 2013 siege of Zamboanga City by followers of Nur Misuari.

Senior Supt. Ronald de la Rosa, a member of the PNP board of inquiry looking into the Mamasapano bloodbath, is 2015 Cavalier Awardee for Police Operations, owing to his role in several police operations, including the “neutralization of the Montero kidnap-for-ransom group,” the PMA said. De la Rosa is a member of PMA Class of 1986.

Navy Lt. Col. Elpidio Factor, a member of PMA Class of 1995, is the 2015 Cavalier Awardee for Naval Operations, owing to his stint as commanding officer of the Marine Battalion Landing Team-3.

Air Force Maj. Jonathan de Leon, a member of PMA Class of 2001, is the 2015 Cavalier Awardee for Air Force Operations, for introducing a squadron safety program in 2014, and establishing an online community site that exchanges “lessons learned” in the field.

Cmdr. Inocencio Rosario Jr., a member of PMA Class of 1996, is the 2015 Cavalier Awardee for Coast Guard Operations, while Army Maj. Gremel Brual, a member of PMA Class 1996, is the 2015 Cavalier Awardee for Special Operations. Vincent Cabreza, Inquirer Northern Luzon