Narito ako sa harap ninyo, mga magiting na tauhan ng Sandatahang Lakas ng Pilipinas, bilang inyong bagong pangkalahatang pinuno. Pinasasalamatan ko kayo sa karangalang inihandog ninyo sa akin ngayong umaga, ayon sa nakaugaliang parangal hukbo. Higit na mahalaga, lumalaki ang aking puso na muling makatuntong sa kampong ito na maihahambing sa isang pagbabalik-bayan.

I stand before you as your new commander-in-chief and at your invitation to this testimonial parade and review — which is for me also a homecoming.

It was only a year ago, almost to the day, that I said goodbye — giving up my office as Secretary of Defense after more than 40 as a constitutional soldier.

From retirement, however, I responded to a new call to higher duty. As a result, this past year was for me a time of extraordinary events — whose outcome has brought me to this day among old friends and comrades. Thus, once more, our paths intersect by the will of our people.

This testimonial parade and review is certainly more than a military ritual. It rests on a basic principle of democracy — the supremacy of the civilian authority over the military. It affirms the command function of the president over the armed forces in his concurrent role as commander-in-chief.

It is in this context that, by the mandate of our people, I return to establish and exercise that immutable duty with you — the officers, enlisted personnel and civilian employees of the Armed Forces.

I find it assuring that between us is a shared past, a common experience, a mutual interest in a calling to which we have dedicated our lives.

This makes me realize that, as commander-in-chief, I shall be working with familiar associates. I shall be dealing with a defense establishment for whom organizational continuity extends deep into their personal commitment to duty and service.

After this ceremony, in fact, I shall convene a working session with the armed forces leadership — to assess the obtaining situation and current concerns, and to outline an action plan that shall trace this organization’s trajectory into the future.

Together we have accomplished a great deal. Together we shall do a lot more.

Reforms in the armed forces, which started soon after the EDSA Revolution, have gone a long way. There has in fact been a qualitative change in the organization — in operations, fund and resource allocation; in strategic planning; in retiree and reservist affairs; and, not to forget, in the civil-military operations program.

What now deserves our attention are the scalawags that remain in your ranks — misfits tarnish the image of our armed forces.

Here and now, I instruct the chief of staff and all his subordinate commanders to weed out these undesirable elements from the organization. This is a high-priority effort; and I shall brook no compromise when it comes to dealing with abusive military personnel.

I also see the need for greater interaction between local commanders and their counterparts in the civilian sector — to secure our communities, deliver basic services and promote local development.

On a much wider arena, we need to re-assess the responsiveness of our strategic and operational plans, concepts and doctrines in the light of a changing internal security environment and the emerging geo-political environment in the Asia-Pacific region.

The time has come to tell ourselves that all around us, the power balance is changing, as a consequence of the post-Cold War realignments.

It is against such a backdrop that we need to adjust to the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Philippine bases by the year-end.

In the larger global community, I wish our armed forces to continue developing a greater awareness of relevant opportunities such as participation in international peacekeeping operations, keeping abreast of advances in technology and the like.

Certainly, it helps promote the country’s image to have our soldiers and police personnel form part of such U.N. contingents as those now in Iraq and Cambodia.

In the special case of ASEAN, the view is now generally accepted that it can provide the forum and structure within which regional security concerns may be addressed.

Through ASEAN, certain initiatives can take shape and prosper. And these can range from a more creative approach to defense industry complementation to the formulation of a collective posture on every common issue — including a peaceful and circumspect attitude to such a delicate question as the controversial Spratly Islands.

I should encourage wider contacts between our senior military officers and their ASEAN counterparts — to strengthen friendships and perhaps even conduct joint and combined exercises.

Let me now refer to an urgent organizational concern of the armed forces — its modernization program. This to me is a national imperative. Of great importance is the need to develop a self-reliant, credible and capable armed forces organization that is prepared to carry out its constitutional duty to defend our country’s territorial integrity.

As commander-in-chief, I will certainly do everything possible to carry out this program with all deliberate speed.

On this topic I have just another principle: modernization is not only a question of acquiring state-of-the-art war-fighting materiel.

We must not forget the most important weapons system — the individual soldier. The modernization of our armed forces must proceed from this benchmark — the development of a professional soldier in all its aspects.

What the armed forces leadership must intensify as part of its continuing effort at reform is the concerted attention to change not only the image of our men and women in uniform but the very substance of what truly makes them professional.

In the end, it is the soldier who matters — what is in his or her mind and heart. How he relates to his duty, to his comrades, to his people, and to his country.

And now, let me give you some good news.

I know that you did not expect to come here empty-handed. As chief of staff and secretary of defense, I did my part in pursuing certain actions to uplift the status and condition of our soldiers. In some of my recommendations, I succeeded, and in others I did not — but always for a good reason. From where I stand today, I would like to make good on the most urgent.

Let me start where I must — with our courageous and great predecessors, the veterans and retirees.

Here and now I direct the Secretary of Defense and the Chief of Staff to plan out immediately implementation of a program designed to achieve a rational and realistic adjustment of all benefits, pensions and other forms of assistance for our veterans and retirees to achieve the objectives mandated by section 7, article 16 of the constitution.

I want submitted to me — without delay — a proposal to increase the benefits and pensions they receive, including adjustments in the computation thereof based on present pay scales. What I would like to see is a progressive plan that I can submit to Congress for regular budgetary appropriations in 1992-93.

Number two, I announce that, pursuant to Republic Act 7180, I hereby direct the chief of staff to implement as soon as possible the increase of the clothing allowance of military personnel from the present rate of p30.00 to p200.00 monthly.

I also direct the implementation of the increase of quarters allowance at a rate that shall put the soldier on equal footing with his police counterpart.

Finally, I direct that the armed forces resubmit as a priority welfare project for our soldiers the funding requirements for an upgraded pay scale, which will put soldiers’ pay at par with that already authorized for the Philippine National Police.

Number three, I have approved the recommendation to increase the promotional vacancies from the rank of captain to major with additional 254 slots.

This should ease the long-standing “hump” problem, that has affected our middle level officers because of a dysfunction in the promotional system starting in the late 1970’s and the early 1980’s.

I suggest the crafting of a better personnel management and administration program to prevent the creation of similar “humps” in the armed forces rank profile in the future.

Number four, I ask the chief of staff to review and resubmit through the secretary of defense all legislative proposals pertaining to:

A) the creation of new ranks for enlisted personnel at the highest level — specifically that of senior master sergeant and chief master sergeant — to rationalize career opportunities for outstanding enlisted men and women.

B) the provision of a comprehensive scholarship program for qualified officers and enlisted personnel to enhance their professional qualifications.

C) the enactment of a law that shall provide higher insurance coverage for our men and women in uniform by GSIS, from p12,000.00 to p50,000.00 per soldier.

There are a few more items that I have in mind for you. These I shall discuss with the secretary of national defense, the chief of staff and key commanders this morning, to map out the strategy — to unify, professionalize and modernize the armed forces. I am most optimistic that we can accomplish what we aim to achieve in the coming years.

Bilang pagwawakas, ako ay lubos na nagpapasalamat sa parangal na iginawad ninyo sa akin. Ako ay nagagalak na tayo ay muling nagkasama-sama at sa pamamagitan nito, tayo ay magkaisa tungo sa pag-unlad at magandang kinabukasan para sa ating bayan.

Mabuhay tayong lahat!

Thank you and a good day to you all.