Esperon to visit troops as part of farewell tradition prior to scheduled retirement

By Ronron
January 23, 2008

Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief of staff Gen. Hermogenes Esperon, Jr. said Wednesday he is “very prepared” to retire on February 9, in fact he will be visiting troops on the field starting today (Thursday) to bid them goodbye.

However, he still assured President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo of his willingness to stay on and continue serving as military chief if she wishes him to do so beyond February 9 of this year.

“Yes, I’m very prepared. It has been an honor having served the top of the Armed Forces. Indeed, I’m retiring, I’m reaching the age of 56 come February 9,” Esperon told reporters at Camp Aguinaldo.

“If I will be extended, then it will the height of honor to continue serving, even for a short period, as Chief of Staff,” he added.

Asked if his scheduled troop visits starting today is already an exit call, Esperon said: “Both. It would be seamless – I would be inspecting our troops in Jolo and Basilan as part of ongoing operations, and also as part of my supposed farewell journey to my former units.”

He said that his first assignment after graduating from the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) in 1974 were units in Basilan and Sulu.

After visiting troops in Sulu, Basilan, and Zamboanga today, Esperon said he will visit in the next few days other units in Mindanao and in Luzon where he was assigned in the past.

“In the next few days, I will be visiting the 23rd Infantry Battalion where I was platoon leader, the 36th Infantry Battalion where I was company commander, the 30th Infantry Battalion where I was a battalion commander, and the two brigades – 602nd in Cotabato and 103rd in Basilan,” Esperon said.

“Later on, I will visit the SOCOM (Special Operations Command), 7th Division, and other units. But as I go through these, including my trip to the Philippine Military Academy for a testimonial parade, it would simply be part of my seamless phasing in from operations to retirement,” he continued.

Esperon said the reason why he could not talk yet of a definite retirement is because his term extension is a prerogative of the President, and not his.

“If I will be extended, it is because it is allowed and probably, there is a need for extension. But I must say that I’ve been honored enough,” he said.

He said he will be a good soldier, who will respond to the call of duty, if Arroyo extends his term.

Nonetheless, he said he is confident the 120,000-strong AFP will be in good hands even if he leaves the service next month.

“I must always say that there are also capable officers who can take on from where I would leave,” he said.

Critics of the Arroyo government had earlier said that the latter had warned of destabilization threats from the start of the year to justify a possible term extension for Esperon./DMS