Cebuano general

If not for Ianna Briguez-Dalin, servant leader of TawagAwit in Morrinsville, New Zealand, I would not have known that the new Commanding General of the Philippine Air Force (PAF) is a full-blooded Cebuano. Dalin happens to be the sister of Lieutenant Gen. Rozzano Dosado Briguez, who took over the post of Lieutenant Gen. Galileo Gerard Kintanar Jr. on Dec. 21, 2018 in a formal change of command ceremony at the PAF Multi-Purpose Gymnasium inside the Col. Jesus Villamor Air Base in Pasay City.

In the ceremony attended by President Rodrigo Duterte, Briguez gave a well-crafted acceptance speech that acknowledged his roots and those who were part of his life journey and elaborated on his vision for PAF under his leadership.

He said that what inspired him to become a military man was his father, a policeman who was killed by criminals during a security operation in 1980 in Cebu City. He was 16 years old. He graduated salutatorian in the Philippine Military Academy “Sinagtala” Class of 1986 and joined PAF, undergoing the Military Pilot Training in the PAF Flying School and graduating at the top of his class. As he rose through the ranks, he continued to pursue further studies in the Asian Institute of Management, the University of New South Wales, Australia and Air War College, US Air Force University, Alabama.

But what should make us Cebuanos proud of Briguez is his philosophy as leader: “Padayon PAF: Perform, Reform, Transform.” He used the Bisaya word, “Padayon” (move on) as the foundation of his command. Instead of starting from scratch as commanding officer, Briguez believes in continuing on the gains of the previous command. He used derivative words of “padayon” in the pursuit of his philosophy: “dayunon,” to immediately implement programs correctly and speedily; “dayon,” to warmly welcome all airmen in the task ahead of them; and “kadayung,” a call for solidarity and shared or collective responsibility.

PAF achieved the highest rating of “Excellent” in the whole Armed Forces of the Philippines during the annual inspection conducted by the Office of the AFP Inspector General. It is therefore a challenge for Briguez to maintain the high standard of professionalism in PAF.

With the expansionist ambitions of China in the West Philippine Sea, there is need for PAF to reorient its internal security role to a territorial defense posture. The transformation process called Flight 2028 is ambitious, if not costly, and the role of Briguez is to further this cause while at the same time keeping the morale of the airmen high in its fight against terrorism and criminality even with the limited resources available.

If your father were alive today, surely, he would be proud of you, Lt. Gen Briguez, as much as we are proud of your achievements so far.