Gibo ready to resign as defense chief to pursue 2010 bid

By ELENA L. ABEN
November 8, 2009, 4:25pm


FORT DEL PILAR, Baguio City – Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro, Jr. bid farewell to the cadets of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) last Saturday during the PMA’s 111th Foundation Day, as he called on the future armed forces officers to live up to the traditions and foundations of their alma matter.

It was Teodoro’s last appearance at the country’s premiere military academy as Defense Secretary after he announced that he will be resigning from his current post by next week to pursue his presidential bid in the 2010 elections. Teodoro said that the turn-over ceremony for his successor will be on November 16.

Teodoro also took the opportunity to bid farewell to the officers, faculty and staff of the PMA who he thanked for supporting him during in his almost three year stint as DND secretary.

In his message, Teodoro congratulated the PMA “for another year – the 111th year of significant contributions not merely to peace and order, national security, but to national development and the development of the social and economic fabric of our country.”

“We are here today to celebrate foundation day. And if you noticed, the set of instructions that were given to Vice Admiral Calderon really seek to examine that word: Foundation – for that is what we celebrate today. It is not merely to celebrate the act of establishing or the formation of the Philippine Military Academy, but to examine the legs, the values and the ingredients upon which the PMA, as an institution, is based,’ he said.

“And so, we examine the fundamental reason for its existence, which is the production of quality officers of the Armed Forces of the Philippines who will be the leaders, officers and servants of the people. And so, we examine, with the help of the Board of Visitors and the hierarchy of the PMA, the hierarchy of the Armed Forces, what we need to do to strengthen the foundation of this institution.”

He added: “First and foremost, we focus on the raison d’etre – the reason for the existence of cadets. And we reinstituted the no compromise policy against violations of fundamental precepts, values and contractual stipulations - the honor violations. For that is what makes you cadets different from other government scholars - your commitment to abide by a strict code of conduct. And that is the honor code.”

“On the other hand, you must be recipient of fairness and due process, of clarity in rules and regulations; hence, our instructions to the hierarchy to balance the rules and regulations that you are made subject to, in order that you may be judged clearly, fairly without partisanship, without whimsical reasons or bias. And that foundation of honor, dignity, without which this institution has no reason for being sought to be preserved and taught to each and every one of you,” he added.

Teodoro said another foundation is the foundation of competence. “We are not merely here to be robots and soldiers, but thinking men and women that will lead people – lead with clarity foresight, lead with knowledge and lead with competence.”

“Hence, I congratulate all of the steps taken by the hierarchy to improve the academic capacity - particularly the realization that since the face of war, a non-traditional military endeavours are information driven, psychologically driven, the power of communication, as a substitute for conflict and as a deterrent for conflict and bad behaviour, is important. And, the improvement of your communication skill, as a tool of leadership and as a tool of action, is important and given importance by the Academy,” he stated.


Source: http://mb.com.ph/articles/228578/gibo-ready-resign-defense-chief-pursue-2010-bid