Simple retirement rites for outgoing AFP chief

MANILA, Philippines - The retirement rites of outgoing Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief Gen. Eduardo Oban Jr. on Monday will be simple compared to previous turnover ceremonies, the military said.

AFP spokesman Col. Arnulfo Burgos Jr. yesterday said Oban himself turned down an elaborate ceremony since the military is now undertaking austerity measures.

“It is the intention of the chief of staff to make the change of command ceremony very simple,” Burgos said in a press briefing.

He said Oban’s retirement honors would not feature the display of tanks and mechanized battalions, the usual fixtures in turnover rites.

“We will not display our mechanized infantry. We don’t have armored assets (on Monday),” he said.

Among the usual fixtures in change of command ceremonies that will not be paraded on Monday are the Simba fighting vehicle and the armored personnel carriers.

The turnover, however, will feature a “high-speed opener” where an aircraft would fly over the venue of the retirement honors.

Burgos said an S-211 jet will be used for the “high-speed opener” marking the start of retirement ceremonies. The opener was included in the program since Oban belongs to the Philippine Air Force.

Burgos said a battalion of soldiers or about 400 military personnel would render arrival honors for President Aquino, who will preside over the ceremony.

A division of soldiers or about 1,000 military personnel would comprise the parading elements. Each unit from the major services will be represented in the parade.

Oban will reach the retirement age of 56 on Dec. 13. The change of command ceremony will be held in Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City a day earlier.

Burgos said Oban has been trying to maintain a low profile even if he is chief of the 130,000-strong military.

He said the outgoing AFP chief did not want his name placed on markers installed in structures that were constructed or renovated during his term.

These include the newly refurbished AFP Commissary, where soldiers buy goods at low prices and the AFP Commissioned Officers’ Club Tejeros Hall both in Camp Aguinaldo.

“For him (Oban), what is important is the institution, not the personality,” Burgos said.

The retirement honors for Oban will start at about 10 a.m. Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin, former AFP chiefs, military officers, defense attaches from other countries and Oban’s relatives are expected to attend the event.

When asked if Oban has been offered a civilian post after he retires, Burgos said: “What he (Oban) said is he will concentrate on his family.”