From the Website of AFP
links:
http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/371132/afp-welcomes-134-new-officers
AFP Welcomes 134 New Officers
By ELENA L. ABEN
August 26, 2012, 8:30pm
MANILA, Philippines — The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP)
welcomed to its ranks 134 newly commissioned officers from the Army, Air
Force, and Navy who recently finished the “Pre-Entry Courses for
Officers.”
AFP spokesman Colonel Arnulfo Marcelo Burgos Jr. said the 134 newly
commissioned officers include 33 cadets from the Philippine Army Officer
Candidate Course (PAOCS), 57 from the Philippine Air Force Officer
Candidate School (PAFOCS), and 44 from the Naval Officers Candidate
Course (NOCC) who successfully completed their one-year of training as
candidate officers of the armed forces.
Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin graced the joint graduation ceremony, along with AFP Chief of Staff General Jessie D. Dellosa.
Gazmin, Dellosa, and the Major Service commanders also facilitated
the awarding of the Secretary of National Defense Saber, the CSAFP Medal
and Plaque, and the Major Service Commander and Flag Officer, and
Command Awards to the top graduates of each class.
During the ceremony, the Adjutant General, Brigadier General Rolando
B. Jungco read the commissionship order to the candidates, officially
making them members of the regular force of the AFP.
The candidates also took their oath as commissioned officers of the
AFP, followed by their induction to the Officer Candidate School Alumni
Association.
The officer candidate schools established in the three Major Services
train civilians and enlisted personnel who are baccalaureate degree
holders to be future members of the AFP regular force.
The one-year course prepares an officer candidate with a rank of
Probationary Second Lieutenant and Probationary Ensign to be mentally,
physically, and emotionally fit to earn a commission as an officer in
the Army, Air Force, and Navy.
In his speech during the ceremony, Gazmin quoted a message from the
President and AFP Commander-in-Chief Benigno S. Aquino III, as he
stated: “You carry on your shoulders the task of ensuring the rule of
law not for the interest of the few but for the betterment of our
people. I know that you left the private sector and joined the service,
not to bask in power but to uphold the integrity but more importantly to
herald hope in communities devastated by strife and misunderstanding.”
Dellosa, for his part, told the graduates: “You’ve made the choice of
joining the military service, and now you are reaping the fruits of 48
weeks of hard labor. I express my congratulations for this very
significant achievement in your life, along with the confidence that you
will continue to follow the tradition of excellence and selfless
service of the AFP.”
“The hard work that you have invested in accomplishing the pre-entry
courses will surely lead to a very fulfilling opportunity to serve your
country and your fellow Filipinos. I hope that you will live up to the
expectations attached in your designations as new commissioned officers
of the AFP,” Dellosa added.
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