CLARK, Pampanga, July 4 — President Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday led the conferment of awards to outstanding individuals and units of the Philippine Air Force during the PAF’s 70th Anniversary held at the Haribon Hangar here.
During the event dubbed as “Partnering for Change and Sustaining the Effort Towards a Jointly Engaged Transforming Force for Greater Peace and Security,” the President presented the awards to units, officers, enlisted personnel and civilian personnel of PAF, who have rendered meritorious and exceptional achievements to the country and to the Filipino people.
The Chief Executive, assisted by PAF Commanding General Lt. Gen. Edgar Fallorina, conferred the PAF Gold Cross Medal Award to Lt. Col. Rolando Peña and to Maj. Melkie Tadeo; Dr. Dorothy Mangcoy (PAF Model Employee of the Year Award); A2C Sairyl Allen Pagayon (PAF Airman of the Year Award); TSG. Wilson Babadilla (PAF NCO of the Year Award); LTC Thomas Ryan Seguin (PAF Officer of the Year Award);
The PAF also gave an Award for Flight Safety to the 220th Airlift Wing and 250th Presidential Airlift Wing; Fernando Air Base was awarded as PAF Model Base Award; PAF Ready Reserve Wing Category Award to the 2nd Air Force Wing Reserve; Wing Non-Flying Category Award to the 355th Aviation Engineer Wing; Wing Flying Category Award to the 250th Presidential Airlift Wing; and Command Category Award to the 3rd Air Division.
The awards signify the commitment, dedication and competence of the men and women of Air Force.
The President was likewise presented with the certificate of complete delivery of the FA-PH aircraft.
During his short speech, Duterte thanked the Korean Aerospace Agency through Korean Ambassador to the Philippines Jae-Shin Kim for the complete delivery of a high-speed SF 260 aircraft; a fly-by of nine T41 and 12 SF 260 aircraft forming the figure “70”; and capability parade of ground equipment used for combat and disaster response.
Fallorina, in his anniversary message, said that since their foundation seven decades ago, PAF has become an instrument of national policy and an expression of national will.
He said they did not take a back seat in the transformation of PAF and this is manifested in their return to the supersonic age with the complete delivery of FA-50PH aircraft which greatly bolstered PAF’s airstrike capability. (Marna Dagumboy-Del Rosario/PNA)
