Navy chief Bacordo gets 3-star rank

PHILIPPINE NAVY  (PN) flag-officer-in-command Giovanni Carlo Bacordo formally donned the rank of vice-admiral on Wednesday.   

In a statement, PN public affairs office chief, Lt. Commander Maria Christina Roxas, said the donning ceremony was held at the PN headquarters in Naval Station Jose Andrada, Roxas Boulevard, Manila.

Bacordo's third star was donned by his wife Rachel.
He assumed command of the PN last February, replacing Vice Admiral Robert Empedrad who compulsorily retired upon turning 56.

After the ceremony, Bacordo then presided the donning of ranks ceremonies for Naval Reserve Command head, Major Gen. Ariel Caculitan; Naval Combat Engineering Brigade chief, Commodore Alfonspin Tumanda; and Offshore Combat Force commander, Commodore Karl Decapia.

The new ranks of these officers were pinned by their respective wives in front of a distant audience from different PN units through live video conferencing, Roxas said.

Bacordo, a member of the Philippine Military Academy Class of 1987, reminded the newly-promoted officers that "promotion in rank means greater responsibility" and that they "have the capability to influence the culture of your respective units (as) the examples you show become the unit's standard".

He then challenged them to "do away with the culture of temporary solutions" and help "develop a modern mindset for our sailors and marines that will match the modern equipment and develop into a modern culture".

Bacordo's appointment and the three other PN officers were approved by President Rodrigo R. Duterte last April 17. (By Priam Nepomuceno)