MANILA, Philippines – Pinangunahan ng Philippine Navy (PN) Linggo, Hulyo 6, ang pagtatalaga kay Major General Vicente MAP Blanco III bilang ika-37 commandant ng Philippine Marine Corps (PMC).
Nanguna si Blanco sa isang donning of ranks at assumption of command ceremony sa Marine Barracks Rudiardo Brown, Naval Station Jose Francisco sa Taguig City noong Hulyo 4.
Si Blanco ay isang kilalang miyembro ng Philippine Military Academy (PMA) “Sambisig” Class of 1991, nagtapos ng ika-12 sa 218 na kadete. Pinamunuan niya ang PMC sa ilan sa mga pinaka-mapanghamong operational environment, mula sa kanyang maagang pag-deploy sa Sulu, Palawan, Tawi-Tawi, at Quezon Province, hanggang sa kanyang command ng 4th Marine Brigade, at pinakahuli, ang kanyang serbisyo bilang deputy commandant ng Marines.
Siya ay inilarawan bilang isang “brilliant and combat-hardened marine officer.”
Nagpahayag ng buong pagtitiwala sa pamumuno ni Blanco si Navy chief Vice Admiral Jose Ma. Si Ambrosio Ezpeleta, na binanggit ang kanyang kakayahang mamuno nang may pagpapakumbaba at integridad.
“From this moment forward, you are in charge of leading the Philippine Marine Corps in a dynamic global security environment,” sinabi ni Ezpeleta kay Blanco.
“As you take the helm, sustain its transformation under the Active Archipelagic Defense Strategy and sharpen the Corps into a force that is not only the most ready, but also the most relevant—whether on land, at sea, or in the littorals,” dagdag pa niya.
Samantala, nangako si Blanco na ipagpapatuloy ang pagbabago ng PMC sa isang mas maliksi, may kakayahan, at nakahanda sa misyon.
“I do not seek to lead from above, but with you, among you, and for you. I ask only this: bring your best every day, in every task, in service of something greater than ourselves. Good enough is not good enough if it can be better; and better is not good enough if it can be best,” sinabi niya sa Marines. RNT/MND
