AMENITIES...

A great man once said:  “...Thank you for the many opportunities you have given me for public service in war and peace. I trust that in that service you find some things worthy; as for the rest of it, I know you will find ways to improve performance in the future.”

These words came, no less, from the late American President Dwight Eisenhower, in his “Farewell to the Nation” just before stepping down from the Oval Office.  To the soldiers that he led in World War II, and to the rest of the world, he was simply called as – like our honoree today – “IKE”.

 To LIEUTENANT GENERAL “IKE” INSERTO, Sir, may we say this in like manner:

WE THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE TO THE COUNTRY, BOTH IN TIMES OF WAR AND IN TIMES OF PEACE.  WE SURELY HAVE FOUND MANY THINGS WORTHY, AND PRAISEWORTHY, IN YOUR MORE THAN 38 YEARS OF PUBLIC SERVICE – BEGINNING WITH THE TIME YOU TOOK YOUR OATH AS A CADET IN THE GROUNDS OF BORROMEO FIELD IN THE PHILIPPINE MILITARY ACADEMY.

 MORE IMPORTANTLY, WE TOO, SHALL FIND LESSONS TO LEARN FROM YOUR COMMENDABLE RECORD OF SERVICE.

 Without a doubt, the  parents of GENERAL INSERTO made the right decision in naming him after a great man in history, for their son, too, would grow up to become a man of significance – a great man in his own right.  For those of you who were not born yet...

At kasama rin ako dito, Sir.  

 ..For those who were not born yet, and those of you who were not born during the time, President IKE EISENHOWER took his first Oath of Office as President of the United States on January 20, 1953.  The day after, PEDRO IKE INSERTO was born.

 Six days from today, that man born almost 56 years ago, shall, like his name sake, bow out of public service and lay down his mandate and his commission as an Officer to become a private citizen.

 We honor this man today.

 GENERAL INSERTO has, for eight months now, been at the forefront of the quest for peace and the efforts for nation-building in the Visayas, in the Unit of the Armed Forces of the Philippines we know as the Central Command – as its COMMANDER.

         And in that time, the Air Force has had its presence made know in that part of the country not just with the presence of PAF units thereat and the Mactan-Benito Ebuen Air Base but also with the pervading leadership and impact of service of GENERAL INSERTO.

        Thus far, he has been the first Air Force senior officer to occupy the post of COMCENTCOM, and this distinction he has held with aplomb with the multifarious programs and corresponding accolades he has led the Central Command to.

         But even before SIR IKE assumed his final, and most important, position – YET – he was peerless in his rise through the Air Force’s echelons of command and leadership.

         He spent the early days of his flying career teaching Student Pilots and Aviation Cadets to fly in the Cessna T-41D.  He then moved on to the exciting world of rotary flying – initially earning his stripes as a chopper pilot with what was then the 505th Air Rescue Squadron – which is now our 505th Search and Rescue Group.

         From Co-Pilot in the UH-1H Huey helicopter he rose through what was then the fightingest squadron of the 205th Tactical Helicopter Wing – the Combat Air Commando Squadron or CACS [kaks].  He would later on command that squadron, when it was redesignated as the 206th Helicopter Squadron.

         After stints as a Military Assistant at DND and as Secretary of Air Staff, GENERAL INSERTO went on to carve a niche for himself in the intelligence community, rising eventually to the position of Executive Officer and Division Chief for Plans and Policy at J-2, AFP.

         He would also become Secretary to the Joint Staff at GHQ – a position which would prepare him well – for he would soon rise to become the Senior Military Assistant, SMA, to Defense Secretary Angelo Reyes.  It was here that he earned his first star.

         From there, his rise to command and leadership positions was steady.  He assumed command of the 205th Tactical Helicopter Wing and, at that time, formed the first-ever all-female pilot and crew team flying the Hueys.

        A second star fell on his shoulders when he became the Chief of Air Staff, and subsequently becoming Commander of the Air Education and Training Command.  By then, he had already come full circle twice – having trained, flown, and later gone back to command two units where he spent time as a student and as a young officer:  the 205th Tactical Helicopter Wing and the AETC.

         But his unparalleled rise did not end there.  He was still to assume command of another Air Force functional command – the TOC or Tactical Operations Command, and thereafter, as Vice Commander, PAF.

         A little over a year ago, he assumed his penultimate position of higher responsibility as The Deputy Chief of Staff – and in the process earning his third star.

        Indeed, SIR IKE has gone a long way from being a TEACHER and MENTOR in Lipa, a SEASONED COMBAT PILOT flying the Hueys, and a competent INTELLIGENCE OFFICER.

         Not many of you may have known, but GENERAL INSERTO was for some time, too, a valuable part of the Philippines’ various foreign delegations as a MILITARY DIPLOMAT with extensive background training in INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS and FOREIGN POLICY.

         I hope when I say this I do not get his goat, but GENERAL INSERTO probably got his twitch in the eye sa kaka-pikit sa pagsa-sight with the endless practices in the pistol range honing his shooting skills. 

         But kidding aside, SIR IKE is an expert shooter.  So good in fact that he was part of the selection pool vying for slots in the Philippine team for the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea.  To this day, he is an active sportsman and gun enthusiast.

         Fellow members of the Air Force, Sir Ike, as an active leadership and participation in alumni affairs both within the Air Force chapter as well as during your stint as Vice President of the PMA Alumni Association, Inc.

         But most of all, the Philippine Air Force thanks you, Sir, for your sterling record of service to our country and our people.  We will be sad to see you go.

 As I end my tribute and that of our Airmen and women for you, Sir, allow me to close with these words from IKE EISENHOWER, from his Presidential valedictory:

 “Now... I am to become a private citizen. I am proud to do so. I look forward to it.”

 It is our hope that as GENERAL PEDRO IKE INSERTO becomes a private citizen, he does so with pride and looks forward to it knowing fully-well that when he looks back through it, he will remember with pride and honor a life dedicated to the service of his country and consecrated to its ideals of justice, freedom, prosperity and peace.

 To GENERAL INSERTO, Sir: [Turns and faces LTGEN INSERTO]

        Allow me to give my SNAPPY SALUTE! 

        I bid you good luck, and Godspeed!