Pacquiao now Lt. Col. in Army reserve force

The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) announced Friday that President Benigno S. Aquino III has approved the commissionship of boxing champ Sarangani Rep. Emmanuel Pacquiao as lieutenant colonel in the Army reserve force.

The AFP said it has already received the confirmation from the Office of the President, granting the world boxing champ his new rank in the reserve force, effective Sept. 21, 2011.

A statement from the Army public affairs office said the document was signed by Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa under the authority of the President.

“Congressman Pacquiao’s commissionship was based on the provisions of Section 44 of Republic Act 7077 which provides that elected and appointed officials can be commissioned in the service if they are degree- holders,” said Maj. Harold Cabunoc, acting Army spokesman.

Other current elected officials who are also part of the military reserve force are Vice President Jejomar C. Binay, a Marine reservist with the rank of colonel; Sen. Loren Legarda, an Air Force reservist with the rank of lieutenant colonel; and Quezon City Mayor Herbert Bautista, a reserve Army lieutenant colonel.

Col. Regidor M. de la Cruz, commander of the National Capital Region (NCR) Regional Community Defense Group, endorsed the nomination of Pacquiao to Brig. Gen. Alex Albano, who then personally transmitted the recommendation to Army Chief, Lt. Gen. Arturo B. Ortiz.

Recognized as a hero among soldiers and the Filipino people as a whole, Pacquiao’s nomination easily passed through the military bureaucracy within a year, said Cabunoc.

De la Cruz, who is due for retirement by the end of the month, on the other hand, said: “I am very glad that the President has finally approved the recommendation that I initiated last year. I am considering this as one of my notable accomplishments as RCDG commander.”

Dela Cruz will also recommend to the Army leadership the formal donning of rank upon Pacquiao’s return following his highly-anticipated fight against Juan Manuel Marquez on Nov.r 13.

Sgt. Usman Anterola, a member of the world champ Philippine Dragon Boat Team (PDBT), said he considers Pacquiao as his sports idol.

“I always want to copy his accomplishments and most importantly his excellent display of sportsmanship that every athlete should emulate,” said Anterola who is leading the Philippine Army Dragon Boat Team in the CamSur International Dragon Boat Festival in Pili town, Camarines Sur.

Last June 30, Pacquiao was given military honors by Ortiz for successfully defending his World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight belt against Shane Mosley.

The Army chief, for his part, said Pacquiao has served as an inspiration among soldiers in bringing honor and glory to the country.

“I am proud that Congressman Pacquiao has finally been commissioned as an officer. He is a leader and a man of influence in his own right, making him as one of the first examples of heroism and love for the country,” said Ortiz.

Pacquiao was enlisted in the Reserve Force of the Philippine Army with the rank of sergeant on April 27, 2006. His becoming an Army Reserve Enlisted Personnel was courtesy of then Col. Alexander B. Yano, who was still a Brigade commander in Sarangani when Pacquiao was starting his boxing career.

He was later on promoted to the rank of technical sergeant on Dec. 1, 2006. On Oct. 7, 2007, he was promoted to the rank of master sergeant for giving distinct honor, not only to the Army and the AFP, but the entire country after defeating Antonio Barrera.

Pacquiao was then elevated to the rank of senior master sergeant on May 4, 2009 as a tribute for being the world’s No.1 pound-for-pound boxer.

Other prominent personalities in the military reserve force are former Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro, lieutenant colonel in the Air Force reserve force; former Senator Manny Villar, lieutenant colonel in the Army reserve force; former Interior and Local Government Secretary Rafael Alunan, a reserved Army colonel; former First Lady Loi Estrada, a reserve lieutenant colonel, PAF; former Senator Richard Gordon, reserve lieutenant colonel, PAF; Air21 president Bert Lina, reserve Army colonel; Jude Estrada, reserve captain, PAF; and Margarita “Tingting” Cojuangco, reserve Army lieutenant colonel.

By ELENA L. ABEN
Manila Bulletin

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