Lieutenant Colonel Fermin Carangan is the Commanding Officer of TOG 8, the Air Force unit tasked to provide air support for Samar and Leyte. Here he narrates his ordeal as Supertyphoon Haiyan (local name: Yolanda) unleashed her fury on Tacloban on that fateful morning of November 8. READ FULL STORY
MANILA (Mabuhay) — The Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) on Friday said it plans to move the Philippine Air Force (PAF) out of Clark so more land could be made available for development inside the Freeport. “The BCDA is eyeing the transfer of the Philippine Air Force in Clark to enable us to utilize […]
Six candidates, including former and current “insiders” as well as the former head of the Comelec’s legal department, are applying for the Overall Deputy Ombudsman post, which will be vacated after the compulsory retirement of Orlando Casimiro on August 23. Judicial and Bar Council (JBC) member Jose Mejia said, those vying for the post include former Assistant Ombudsman Melchor Arthur Carandang and incumbent Deputy Ombudsman for Luzon officer-in-charge Rudiger Falcis II. Carandang was appointed Assistant Ombudsman during the tenure of former Ombudsman Simeon Marcelo, while Falcis is the incumbent officer-in-charge of the Office of the Deputy Ombudsman for the Military, he said. Also seeking the post is the former chief of the Commission on Elections legal department, Ferdinand Rafanan. He is currently the poll body’s director for planning. The rest of the applicants are Undersecretary Ronaldo Geron of the Malacañang Discipline Office, private lawyer Vernard Quijano of the Pamaran Ramos and Partners law office, and George Soriano, chairman of the Quezon City People’s Law Enforcement Board, Mejia said. Also, the JBC said the applicants have until July 17 to submit documentary requirements, while their public interviews are set for July 31. The JBC is constitutionally mandated to screen and vet nominees for vacant posts in the judiciary and the Offices of the Ombudsman and Deputy Ombudsman. For a vacant post in those government bodies, the seven-member JBC is tasked to come up with a shortlist from which the President will pick an appointee. Casimiro had been the subject of an Read More …
CLARK AIR BASE (Mabuhay) — The Philippine Air Force showcased its skills during its 66th anniversary program with its aircraft staging a high-speed opener pass and a fly-by. Air Force commanding general Lt. Gen. Lauro Catalino Dela Cruz renewed the PAF’s mandate to assist in humanitarian and disaster response and protecting the country’s borders. “Kami […]
Malacañang on Saturday reassured the public the government has not lost its focus in achieving a minimum credible defense position to protect Philippine sovereignty against external and internal threats. Presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said the government has already accomplished much in modernizing the country’s police and military. “We are going to achieve what we have always maintained, what the President has always said—a minimum credible defense position; and if the lawmakers would wish to add to the budget of the AFP, again, we are going through a budget deliberation process,” Lacierda said on government-run dzRB radio. He added the current thrust of the government is modernizing the Philippine police and military. As for some lawmakers’ call to increase the 2014 budget of the police and military for 2014, he said they can do their share by taking part in the deliberation for the 2014 budget. Lacierda also said Congress can add to the budget for the military and the police, which would be a great help for the country. But he said adding any amount should be in the budget process and budget deliberations. “It is within the process itself, as to their discretion how they would like to assist in further modernizing our forces,” he said. Under the AFP Modernization Law, the Aquino administration acquired a Hamilton-class cutter from the US, the BRP Gregorio del Pilar. The Navy is also awaiting the arrival of another naval ship from the US, he said. Also, he said the military acquired several Read More …