PMA Honors Navy Top Brass

By: LIEUTENANT COLONEL EDGARD A AREVALO PN(M)
Director, Naval Public Affairs Office

Tuesday, 31 August 2010

The Philippine Military Academy recently honored its alumni
in a ceremony at Fort Del Pilar, Baguio City on Saturday,
28 August 2010. REAR ADMIRAL DANILO M CORTEZ AFP,
Flag Officer In Command, Philippine Navy led the awardees
who are all members of PMA “Masikap” Class of 1977-
REAR ADMIRAL ROBERTO Q ESTIOKO AFP, Vice Commander,
Philippine Navy, and REAR ADMIRAL VICENTE M AGDAMAG AFP,
Commander, Naval Education and Training Command. The
three received the Superintendent Plaque of Distinction
from VICE ADMIRAL LEONARDO CALDERON AFP, PMA Superintendent.
Except for Rear Admiral Cortez who is set to bow out of
the service in January 2011, both Rear Admiral Estioko
and Rear Admiral Agdamag are set to retire this year.

Rear Admiral Cortez took the Navy helm in acting capacity
in May this year after Vice Admiral Ferdinand S Golez retired.
As one of his priority programs which he outlined upon his
assumption, Rear Admiral Cortez wants the Navy to vigorously
pursue initiatives and relentlessly work further for the
acquisition of the Multi-Role Vessel (MRV) and directed
his staff to expedite the processing of supporting documents
under the Capability Upgrade Program 2009.

With the absence of adequate funds, Rear Admiral Cortez has
advocated the lease of Navy properties along Roxas Blvd and
Ft Bonifacio to finance the stalled modernization program.
This “out-of-the-box” solution was welcomed by the President
and was announced during his SONA in July.

A seasoned sailor, Rear Admiral Cortez commanded four
vessels that included the presidential yatch, BRP PAG-ASA
AT-25) from 1992-1997. He was also the Commander of the
Naval Task Force 61 from 2110-2003 prior his assignment
as Chief of Staff of the Philippine Fleet, also in 2003.
Rear Admiral Cortez was the Vice Commander of the
Philippine Navy when he was named as the 31st Flag Officer
In Command. He hails from Ilocos Sur.

Rear Admiral Estioko is the concurrent The Naval Inspector
General when he was named to the Navy’s second highest post.
The Nueva Ecija native is a career naval professional with
sterling performance both at sea and at shore. He holds a
PhD in Development Education.

Rear Admiral Agdamag who heads the Navy’s premier institution
of learning, the Naval Education and Training Command
is an educator and an intelligence operator. The Ilocos Sur
native was the first Filipino to receive a writing award for
his research paper entitled “Intelligence and the Invasion
of the Philippines” at the National Defense University,
Washington DC where he completed his Master of Science in
National Resource Strategy. He has also authored four books.

The three were given a Testimonial Parade and Review, one
of the military’s time-honored traditions and the PMA’s
testament of giving recognition to its illustrious alumni.
The three also lead the inauguration of the two “Masikap”
Class classrooms for the benefit of the cadets who will
soon be the future officers of the AFP.